Allan Rivlin Allan Rivlin is a senior vice president with Peter D. Hart Research in Washington, D.C. In more than a dozen years of conducting research on consumer, voter and elite public opinion, Rivlin has moderated hundreds of focus group sessions and conducted surveys on a wide range of social, political and commercial topics. Rivlin has served as a consultant to the campaigns of several United States senators and congressional leaders. He has also worked with IBM, American Airlines, DaimlerChrysler and other leading corporations. His clients have included the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and other public interest organizations. He has worked on the surveys Hart Research conducts regularly for NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and other media clients. Rivlin joined Hart Research in early 1997 after leaving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was a senior advisor to Secretary Donna E. Shalala. He currently teaches a class in marketing research at Georgetown University. For five years, he wrote the monthly Poll Position Column for National Journal.com. Rivlin is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a master s degree in management from Yale University. Copyright 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS and the ETS logo are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 5980
Jack O Connell State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O Connell was elected to a second four-year term as State Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 6, 2006. He was the only statewide official to be elected in the June primary election, after earning more than half of all votes cast in a field of five candidates. He was first elected to serve as California s 26th State Superintendent on November 5, 2002, earning more votes than any other contested candidate in the country. As chief of California s public school system and leader of the California Department of Education, Superintendent O Connell has focused on closing the achievement gap and preparing students for a rapidly changing global economy by holding high standards for all students. He is a strong supporter and facilitator of partnerships between schools, businesses, communities and philanthropies in order to engage students with challenging, real-world education experiences. He has worked to smooth the transitions between all segments of education, from preschool to college or the workplace. As a former high school teacher and author of the legislation creating the California High School Exit Exam, he has led a comprehensive effort to increase rigor and improve student achievement in California high schools. Superintendent O Connell is a proven team builder with the ability to forge consensus on contentious issues, especially where challenges are strongest. He has worked to fortify California s world-class academic standards, strengthen California s school accountability and assessment systems and bolster state funding for public school classrooms. He also has been a leader among state school chiefs nationwide in an effort to increase flexibility and fairness in the federal No Child Left Behind school accountability system. He is a long-time advocate for smaller class sizes, improved teacher recruitment and retention, comprehensive testing, and up-to-date school facilities.
Superintendent O Connell was born in 1951 in Glen Cove, New York. In 1958, his family moved to southern California, where he attended local public schools. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California State University (CSU), Fullerton, and earned his secondary teaching credential from CSU, Long Beach, in 1975. He returned to his high school alma mater to teach for several years and later served on the Santa Barbara County School Board. He was elected to the 35th State Assembly District in 1982 and was re-elected by wide margins thereafter, once garnering both the Republican and the Democratic nominations. In 1994, O Connell was elected to the 18th State Senate District on California s Central Coast and easily won re-election in 1998. Throughout his career, Superintendent O Connell has worked to improve public education in California. As the author of numerous landmark education bills in both the California Assembly and the State Senate, he made quality education his number one priority. This commitment to the children of California earned Superintendent O Connell the praise and the respect of colleagues and educators statewide. Superintendent O Connell and his wife, Doree, have been married for more than 30 years and have a daughter, Jennifer, who is 20. Copyright 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS and the ETS logo are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 5980
David Long David Long was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Secretary of Education in March 2007. In that role, he serves as policy advisor to the Governor on education issues. Long has more than 40 years of experience in the field of education, ranging from 21 years of classroom teaching to the superintendency. He obtained his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. Prior to his appointment by the Governor, Long was the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools. Long is the immediate past President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA). He was recently named Chairperson of the Federal Education Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Community Advisory Committee by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. He has been honored as California Administrator of the Year by the National Organization of Partners in Education, Superintendent of the Year, and received the Governor s Award for school leadership. He was also honored as the Inland Empire Entrepreneur of the Year for his innovative approach to raising student achievement through the Riverside County Achievement Teams. He has been awarded the prestigious Marcus Foster Memorial Award from the Association of California School Administrators for outstanding leadership and significant contributions to public education by a school administrator. Long is deeply involved in communities. He is one of the First 5 Riverside commissioners, earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from 23rd District PTA, and Lifelong Learning Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Dave and his wife, Joanne, a principal in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, have two daughters, Angelica and Vika. In addition, Long has four adult children and 12 grandchildren.
Scott Hill Undersecretary of Education Scott Hill was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Undersecretary for the Office of the Secretary of Education in April 2007. Prior to his appointment, Hill served as Vice President of Education Policy for School Innovations and Advocacy from 2004 to 2007. Prior to that, Hill served as Chief Deputy Superintendent for the California Department of Education from 1999 to 2003 and Executive Director for the California Curriculum Commission in 1999. He was executive director for the California Academics Standards Commission from 1997 to 1998. Hill was also the Director of Communications for the George Lucas Educational Foundation from 1996 to 1997 and a Senior Research Analyst for the California School Boards Association from 1993 to 1996. He is co-founder and secretary of the Dixon Montessori Charter School and is a former member of the Dixon Cooperative Preschool Board of Directors. Hill earned his undergraduate degree in political science from George Washington University, and holds an M.A. in government from the University of Virginia. Copyright 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS and the ETS logo are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 6086