Seattle, WA – September 20, 2012 – The Alliance for Education welcomed four outstanding community leaders to its Board of Directors yesterday.
“We are thrilled to welcome these four leaders,” said Alliance board chair Pam MacEwan, Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer, Washington State Health Benefit Exchange. "Our organization will benefit from the experience and perspective each of them brings to the table. These talented individuals will strengthen the Alliance’s community presence and our ability to affect positive change on behalf of the 48,500 students in Seattle Public Schools.”
This brings to eight the total of new directors elected to the Alliance board this year. In March the Alliance welcomed Lisa Chick (City Year), Nate Miles (Eli Lilly & Co.), Estela Ortega (El Centro de la Raza) and Bob Peters (Bank of America). The full board of directors is listed at the Alliance website.
José L. Banda began his position as Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools on July 1, 2012 and will hold the customary Ex Officio board seat reserved for each Superintendent. Mr. Banda brings over 30 years of experience in the field of education including the past four years as Superintendent of the 18,000-student Anaheim City School District. During that time, student achievement increased across the district including that of English Language Learners. Mr. Banda also developed strong relationships with the business community, city government and service organizations, as seen in the innovative math partnership with the MIND Institute and the successful passage of a $170 million construction bond in 2010. Mr. Banda is fluent in Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University in Bakersfield and a master’s in Educational Leadership from Chapman University.
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Roger Erskine began his career as a political science and economics teacher in Minnesota. He spent decades as a NEA organizer and analyst for urban school districts before assuming the Executive Director role at the Seattle Education Association in 1993. Following his tenure at SEA, he helped to found the League of Education Voters, working on a number of projects including implementing a successful ballot initiative to lower class sizes in Washington State. He served as a Co-Chair for both the Teacher Union Reform Network (TURN) and the Cross Cities Campaign for the Urban School Reform and on the Board of Directors for New Horizons for Education. He is a frequent guest lecturer at universities on the “Importance of Trust-based Relationships in Public Education.” He was selected by Seattle Magazine as a “Man to Watch in Education” and received the A+ Award for Outstanding Support for Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Erskine returns to the Alliance for Education Board of Directors from the Emeritus Board after previously serving on the Board from 1996 – 2000.
Charles E. Wright, Jr. is an expert in the linkages between school district data systems and student performance. He has over 18 years experience leading and advising teams that collect and report school data. Most recently he served as Chief Strategy Officer for Denver Public Schools. He is also an entrepreneur, having founded both a consulting organization that works with schools, districts, and education nonprofits on performance management projects and a website to help parents and communities support their children’s learning and development in and out of school. Mr. Wright earned a B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from Morehouse College, a M.A. degree in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
Sally Yates is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Group Health Cooperative, one of the nation’s largest consumer-governed health care systems. Ms. Yates is responsible for legal, risk management, privacy, enterprise security, and governance functions, and plays a key role in cross-functional initiatives. She also serves as a mentor in the University of Washington Masters in Health Administration program and volunteers with the YWCA and the Trevor Project. Ms. Yates is proud to be a Seattle Public Schools parent, with a daughter in 10th grade at Garfield High School and a son who graduated from Garfield in 2010. She holds a B.A. in history from Carleton College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
