President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve on the National Board for Education Sciences:

• S. James Anaya, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Linda Darling-Hammond, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Douglas Fuchs, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Denisa Gándara, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Elmer J. Guy Sr., Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Shaun R. Harper, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• María de la Concepción Hernández Legorreta, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Dana S. Hilliard, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Stephen K. Klasko, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Carol D. Lee, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Ruth N. López Turley, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Derrick Cornelius Scott, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Caroline Sullivan, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
• Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Member, National Board for Education Sciences

National Board for Education Sciences
The National Board for Education Sciences consists of 15 voting members appointed by the President. The board’s duties include advising the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences and serving as a “board of directors” for the Institute by approving or disapproving the Institute’s priorities as proposed by the Director. The board ensures that the priorities of the Institute and the National Education Centers are consistent with the organization’s mission.

S. James Anaya, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
S. James Anaya is a University Distinguished Professor and the Nicholas Doman Professor of International Law at the University of Colorado Law School, where he teaches and writes in the areas of international human rights and issues concerning indigenous peoples. Anaya is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and Harvard Law School. Among his numerous publications is his acclaimed book, Indigenous Peoples in International Law and co-authored textbook, International Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy and Practice (with Hurst Hannum and Dinah Shelton). Anaya served as the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from 2008 to 2014. In that capacity, he examined and reported on conditions of indigenous peoples worldwide and responded to allegations of human rights violations against them, including through country visits and direct contacts with governments. In addition, Anaya has litigated major indigenous rights and human rights cases in domestic and international tribunals, including the United States Supreme Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Among his noteworthy activities, he participated in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and was the lead counsel for the indigenous parties in the case of Awas Tingni v. Nicaragua, in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the first time upheld indigenous land rights as a matter of international law.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and President of the Learning Policy Institute, created to provide high-quality research to inform policies enabling equitable and empowering education for every child. Her research, which examines issues of both policy and practice, has focused on understanding how systems of teaching and learning can ensure teachers and leaders are well-prepared, curriculum and assessment support meaningful learning, and schools are equitably and adequately resourced. Darling-Hammond is a past president of the American Educational Research Association and recipient of its awards for Distinguished Contributions to Research, Lifetime Achievement, Research Review, and Research-to-Policy. She is also a member of the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, as well as a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. She holds 17 honorary degrees from universities around the world. Darling-Hammond began her career as a public school teacher and co-founded both a preschool and a public high school. Among her more than 600 publications are a number of award-winning books, including The Right to Learn, Teaching as the Learning Profession, Preparing Teachers for a Changing World, and The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine our Future. She received an Ed.D. from Temple University with highest distinction and a B.A. from Yale University, magna cum laude.

Douglas Fuchs, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Douglas Fuchs, Ph.D. is an Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research and Research Professor in the Departments of Special Education and Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. He is the former holder of the Nicholas Hobbs Chair of Special Education and Human Development and Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor at Vanderbilt. Fuchs has been a first-grade teacher in a private school for children with behavior problems, fourth-grade classroom teacher in a public school, and school psychologist. He has directed 50 federal research grants with which he and colleagues have developed approaches to service delivery (e.g., pre-referral intervention, response-to-intervention); assessments (e.g., measures of student progress, dynamic assessment); and instruction (e.g., peer-mediated learning strategies).

Fuchs is the author or co-author of more than 500 articles in peer-review journals and 80 book chapters. He was identified by Thomson Reuters as among the 250 most frequently cited researchers in the social sciences in the United States from 2000-2010, inclusive. In 2021, he and Lynn Fuchs were awarded the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education to “celebrate innovation, inspiration, and impact in education by recognizing outstanding leaders who have devoted their careers to closing gaps and accelerating educational opportunity to all students.” In 2014, he received the American Educational Research Association’s Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award, the purpose of which “is to publicize, motivate, encourage, and suggest models for educational research at its best.”

Denisa Gándara, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. Denisa Gándara is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a William T. Grant Scholar, a Ford Foundation Fellow, a McNair Scholar, and a Head Start alumnus. Gándara’s research examines the development of higher education policy decisions and the effects of these decisions on students who have been excluded from and underserved in higher education. An additional line of research explores how various approaches to funding colleges and universities might promote or hinder social equity. Her work has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the Ford Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the American Educational Research Association. Gándara graduated as a Dean’s Distinguished Graduate from The University of Texas at Austin and earned a Ph.D. from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. She was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.

Elmer J. Guy Sr., Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. Elmer J. Guy currently serves as the President of Navajo Technical University (NTU), a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the largest tribal university in the United States. Navajo Tech offers certificates to master’s degrees. Prior to becoming president, Guy served NTU as Vice President of Academic and Student Services and Dean of Instruction. In 2011 and 2012, NTU was named one of the top 120 community colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute College of Excellence Program. In 2018, NTU was listed as one of the top three best higher education institutions in New Mexico according to BestColleges.com. Before joining NTU, Guy was appointed by the Navajo President to serve as Executive Director and Deputy Director of the Navajo Nations Department of Education.

Guy completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Education at the University of Arizona, his masters in Rehabilitation Administration from the University of San Francisco, and his doctoral degree in Rehabilitation and Special Education Leadership at the University of Arizona. Guy serves as a Trustee on the College Board, the Vice President of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Co-Chair of the World Indigenous Higher Education Consortium, and is involved in a number of other educational organizations.

Shaun R. Harper, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Dr. Shaun Harper is a Provost Professor in the Rossier School of Education and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, where he holds the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership. Harper also is founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center. He served as the 2020-2021 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-2017 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. Harper is an expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, corporations, and other organizations. He has published 12 books and over 100 other academic publications. The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of other news outlets have quoted Harper and featured his research. He has interviewed on CNN, ESPN, NBC News, and NPR. He also has testified twice to the United States House of Representatives and spoken at many White House and U.S. Department of Education convenings. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council, on the national education policy committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign, and on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide task force on education, racial equity, and COVID-19 recovery. The recipient of dozens of top honors in the field of education and three honorary doctorates, Harper has been repeatedly recognized in Education Week as one of the 10 most influential scholars in the field of education. He was inducted into the National Academy of Education in 2021.

María de la Concepción Hernández Legorreta, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
María de la Concepción Hernández Legorreta (Conchita) is a disabled Latina immigrant. She grew up in California and now resides in Washington, DC. Hernández Legorreta worked in DC public schools as a teacher of blind students and is now the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist overseeing the education of blind and low vision students through the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland School for the Blind. Her focus is on inclusion and high expectations. Hernández Legorreta conducts research in areas of education focusing on blind English Learners and students from underrepresented communities. Hernández Legorreta received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California and her master’s degree from Louisiana Tech University. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate at George Washington University. Hernández Legorreta founded a non-profit organization, METAS, which works with Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and internationally in areas of education and policy. Hernández Legorreta has written and presented extensively around education, best practices, and accessibility in publications, including Oxford Press, Refinery 29, Allure Magazine, and the Disability Visibility Podcast.  

Dana S. Hilliard, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Mayor Dana S. Hilliard is serving his fifth term as Mayor of the Hilltop City. A graduate of Somersworth High School, he attended Keene State College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1995 and Plymouth State University with a Master Degree in Educational Leadership in 2011. Entering elected public service when he was 20, Hilliard served five terms in the New Hampshire House and two terms on the City Council. He has served on numerous city committees, boards, and commissions. He was awarded the Pink Triangle Award in 2008 from the University of New Hampshire for his commitment to diversity and civil rights and the New Hampshire Democratic Party Kathy Sullivan Courage and Leadership Award in 2013.

Currently in his twenty-third year of education, Hilliard served as a para professional for two years at Somersworth Middle School before joining the Social Studies Department at Somersworth High School where he taught for six years. Next, he entered into administration, serving as Assistant Principal for three years and ten years as the Principal of Somersworth Middle School. Since 2021, Hilliard has served as the Director of School District Operations. For his 21^st century approaches in educational leadership, he was named the 2013 A+ Administrator by the New England League of Middle Schools. He received the New England Education Opportunity Association NEOA Achiever Award in 2009 and the Council for Opportunity in Education National TRIO Achievers Award in 2014. Under his leadership, Somersworth Middle School received the 2019 New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award for Middle School of Excellence. Hilliard and his husband Sean reside in Somersworth. An avid Bruins fan, he enjoys hockey season, traveling, and running and biking.

Stephen K. Klasko, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Stephen K. Klasko, M.D., M.B.A. is an advocate for transformation in higher education and healthcare, including his call for institutions to close gaps of equity and health disparities. He has been a university president, dean of two medical colleges, and leader of three academic medical centers. He has authored books on health assurance and encouraging academic institutions to confront the opportunity gap for students of color. From 2013 through 2021, he was President of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and CEO of Jefferson Health. Under his leadership, the university merged with Philadelphia University, growing from six colleges to 14 and creating the first “design thinking curriculum” for a medical college.  Similarly, Jefferson Health grew to 18 hospitals and is now the largest provider of hospital services in Greater Philadelphia. From 2004 to 2013, Klasko was Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and CEO of University of South Florida Health. From 2000 to 2004, he was Dean of the College of Medicine at Drexel University.

Klasko is currently Executive in Residence with General Catalyst, helping to design responsible innovation in education and healthcare. In addition, he is leading global innovation initiatives with Sheba Medical Center in Israel and is chair of the board of Opera Philadelphia. He is the author of UnHealthcare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance with Hemant Taneja; Bless This Mess: A Picture Story of Healthcare in America,We CAN Fix Healthcare; and The Phantom Stethoscope. His new book, Stayin’ Alive: How the Message in the Music Can Create a Healthier America is due out in late 2022.

Carol D. Lee, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Carol D. Lee is the Edwina S. Tarry Professor Emerita at Northwestern University, School of Education and Social Policy (Learning Sciences Program). She is the President of the National Academy of Education, former President of the American Educational Research Association and the National Conference on Language and Literacy, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the International Society for the Learning Sciences. She has received numerous awards for her research, including the Distinguished Research in Education Award from AERA and the McGraw Prize in Education for Learning Sciences Research, the Squire Award from the National Council of Teachers of English, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. For over 50 years, she has taught at all levels of the educational system – primary school, high school, community college, and university. Her research focuses on cultural supports for literacy and ecological supports for youth holistic learning and development.

Ruth N. López Turley, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Rice University Professor of Sociology Ruth N. López Turley is Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, which brings together data, research, engagement, and action to improve lives. In 2011, she founded the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a research-practice partnership between Rice and eleven Houston area school districts, representing over 700,000 students. A program of the Kinder Institute, HERC works to improve educational equity by connecting research to policy and practice, working closely with district leaders. She directed HERC from 2011 to 2022, during which she raised over $30 million so that school districts would not have to pay for this research. She also founded the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships, which connects and supports over 60 partnerships between research institutions and education agencies throughout the country. She is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard and is originally from Laredo, Texas.

Derrick Cornelius Scott, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Originally from Varnville, South Carolina, Dr. Derrick Scott received his B.S. in Biology at Virginia State University, his M.S. in Molecular Biology from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology with a focus in Bioinformatics from the University of South Carolina. He is currently the Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Virginia State University where his goals are to help lead the University to High Research Activity status and create more opportunities for minorities and women to enter science careers. His research involves bringing down the costs of expensive medicines by using informatics to identify target genes in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that will make the lines more stable. He recently helped to establish the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Delaware State University that helped the university and surrounding communities stay safe via COVID-19 PCR testing. His hobbies include spending quality time with his wife and four children.

Caroline Sullivan, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Caroline Sullivan is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, the education nonprofit in the Office of the Governor. She works with state agencies, school districts, higher education, and employers to develop cross-agency strategies and data informed initiatives to support the education and workforce systems in the state. Sullivan has launched multiple innovative programs to support student success and educator effectiveness. She led the development of a statewide work-based learning platform that provides opportunities for students and longitudinal data for education systems.  The platform has been highlighted in national publications as a best practice to expand and measure work-based learning. She has been an advocate for individuals with disabilities for over 20 years, and previously chaired the NC Interagency Coordinating Councils for Children with Disabilities. She developed LiNC-IT, a statewide internship program for individuals with autism. Sullivan has made numerous presentations on neurodiversity employment programs and work-based learning to state and national audiences. 

Sullivan currently serves on the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Board, the Teacher Working Conditions Survey Advisory Committee, NC Workforce Credentials Advisory Council, the NC Careers Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. Prior to this appointment, she was elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners, serving as Chair of the Education Committee. She received a B.A. with Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.   

Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Member, National Board for Education Sciences
Hirokazu Yoshikawa is the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education and a University Professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He is a community and developmental psychologist who studies the effects of public policies and programs on young children and adolescents, particularly in the contexts of migration, forced displacement, sexuality, and poverty reduction. He conducts research in the United States, Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East. He has served as a Trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, and the William T. Grant Foundation. He previously served on the National Board of Education Sciences during the Obama-Biden Administration. He has served in advisory roles for UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Education, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received an honorary doctorate from Utrecht University in 2020.

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