Kerri L. Briggs
Director for Education Reform
George W. Bush Institute

Kerri Briggs joined the George W. Bush Institute in October 2010 as the Director for Education Reform. As the Director, Briggs’ initial focus is the implementation of The Bush Institute’s recently announced Alliance to Reform Education Leadership, the largest initiative in history to enhance the achievement of America’s children by improving the performance of America’s school principals. Additionally, Briggs oversees the Institute’s efforts in middle school reform and education productivity.

Briggs most recently served as state superintendent of education for Washington, D.C., during which Briggs worked closely with widely respected education reformer chancellor Michelle Rhee and highly respected charter school leaders. As a member of the team that won a federal Race to the Top grant for the city, Briggs was instrumental in one of the nation’s most visible education reform efforts. She led the District of Columbia into a Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to develop a new, state-of-the-art assessment system, stabilized the organization to focus on eliminating Washington, D.C.’s federal status as a high-risk grantee, developed a policy structure to craft critical state policies, including those focused on students with disabilities, and constructed new processes to improve and consolidate data access and collections.

Briggs previously served as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, a position she was nominated for by President George W. Bush in 2007. As Assistant Secretary, Briggs played a pivotal role in policy and management issues affecting elementary and secondary education. She directed, coordinated and recommended policy for programs designed to assist state and local education agencies with: improving the achievement of elementary and secondary school students; helping ensure equal access to services leading to such improvement for all children, particularly children who are economically disadvantaged; fostering educational improvement at the state and local levels; and providing financial assistance to local education agencies whose local revenues are affected by federal activities.

Briggs also served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development from September 2006 through January 2007. Prior to, Briggs served for one year as senior policy adviser in the Office of the Deputy Secretary, where she worked on K-12 policy and regulations pertaining to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Briggs joined the Department of Education in 2001 as a senior policy adviser in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, working for four years on the review and approval of state accountability plans for NCLB. She also helped write the original regulations and non-regulatory guidance for implementation of the law’s accountability, assessment, flexibility and teacher quality provisions.

The author of many articles on reading, charter schools and school-based management, Briggs was the co-editor of Reading in the Classroom: Systems for Observation of Teaching and Learning, published in 2003.

Briggs is a former chair of the Junior League of Washington: Literacy Partnerships committee and is a board member for the Aged Women’s Home of Georgetown.

A native of Texas, Briggs grew up with her family in small towns near Houston where she attended public schools. Briggs earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1989. She did her postgraduate work at the University of Southern California, where she earned a Master of Arts and, later, a Ph.D. in education policy and organizational studies.

Anne McClellan
Director, Middle School Matters
George W. Bush Institute

Dr. Anne McClellan joined the George W. Bush Institute in June 2011 as the Director for Middle School Matters. As the Director, Dr. McClellan is responsible for leading the Middle School Matters initiative, which seeks to leverage research– and evidence–based practices to expand the capacity of middle grade students to be active and confident learners – young people who are resilient, and persist through middle school to college, career, and life. She brings broad experience to the development of the Middle School Matters program in: business planning, fundraising, school design/curricular innovation, traditional/charter school, and non-profit leadership.

Dr. McClellan has led a number of organizations in achieving a common goal of improving student and faculty performance, laying the groundwork for their continued success. Prior to joining the Education Reform team at the George W. Bush Institute, McClellan served as Vice President for Growth at YES Prep Public Schools, a nationally recognized network of charter schools that currently serves over 5,200 low-income students in Houston, Texas prepared to compete in the global marketplace. During her tenure at YES Prep, the school system more than doubled in size and opened six new campuses (grades 6-12).

Before joining YES Prep, McClellan was a program officer at the Texas High School Project, a public–private alliance designed to prepare teenagers for the challenges of college and the job market. She served as principal of Houston’s Challenge Early College High School from 2003 to 2005, during which time she was a Houston Independent School District “master principal.”

Dr. McClellan served as principal of Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School in Houston for ten years. Under her tutelage, the school consistently earned “Exemplary” status, and earned Poe the distinction of an “Annenberg Beacon School”. As a Beacon School, Poe was partnered with its middle school and surrounding community to ‘light the way’ in building an even stronger learning environment. After leaving Poe, she became a principal coach at the Houston A+ Challenge Leadership Academy and co–founded the Center for the Reform of School Systems with Dr. Don McAdams, which focused on the improvement of district and school board governance.

In 1989, as lead assistant principal at Robert E. Lee Senior High School, McClellan received the Hamman Foundation’s Outstanding Educator Award. She has provided consulting services to a wide range of school, districts and foundations such as Bellwether Education Partners, National Governors Association, Boston Public Schools, Ohio Board of Regents, DC Public Schools, TIES, Envision, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sandy Kress
Fellow in Education Policy
George W. Bush Institute

Sandy Kress was appointed Fellow in Education Policy at The George W. Bush Institute in January 2010. As a fellow, Kress will focus on the Middle School Matters program by conducting research and directing policy for initiatives to achieve the aim that every American high school graduate is college-ready and prepared for a good job.

Kress concurrently serves as a Senior Counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where his practice focuses on public law and policy at the state and national levels with a strong focus on education matters, including policies, reform and accountability.

Previously, Kress served as senior advisor to President George W. Bush on education with respect to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. He also previously served as president of the board of trustees of the Dallas Public Schools.

In 1991, Kress was appointed by Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock to the Educational Economic Policy Center. He was later asked to chair the Center’s Accountability Committee. This committee produced the public school accountability system that was later adopted into Texas state law and recognized as one of the most advanced accountability systems in the nation. Lieutenant Governor Bullock also appointed Kress to serve in 1994 on the Interim Committee to study the Texas Education Agency. In December 2007, Kress was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve on the Select Committee on Public School Accountability which is tasked with thoroughly reviewing the public school accountability system.

Governor Perry appointed Kress in April 2007 to chair the Commission for a College Ready Texas. This commission issued recommendations to promote greater college/work readiness among Texas high school graduates. Kress was also appointed by Governor Perry in December 2007 to serve on the Governor’s Competitiveness Council, which was launched to identify obstacles to global competitiveness and to seek recommendations on ways Texas can enhance its economic footing for long-term, sustained success.

Kress formerly served on the Education Commission of the States, and he currently serves as counsel to the Governor’s Business Council. He is also a life member of the board of directors of the Texas Business & Education Coalition. Kress was named a senior fellow of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership in 2009.

Kress received a Bachelor of Arts in 1971 from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. with honors in 1975 from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as president of the student government. He is a member of the Texas and District of Columbia Bars.

Beth Ann Bryan
Policy Associate for Education Reform
George W. Bush Institute

Beth Ann Bryan serves as Policy Associate for Education Reform at The George W. Bush Institute. Through the Middle School Matters program, Bryan guides the Bush Institute in achieving its goal of ensuring that every American high school graduate is college-ready and prepared for a good job.

Bryan also serves as senior education advisor to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she assists both private and public entities with the implementation of education reforms and counsels clients on education policy issues. Her recent experience includes helping to develop initiatives to improve secondary school literacy, navigating policy issues affecting students in pre-k through college for higher education officials and ensuring that instructional practice in education is driven by high quality research.

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Bryan served as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick Paige from 2001 to 2003. She also served as a member of the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education and worked closely with the First Lady’s office on education initiatives in Texas and nationwide. After leaving Washington in 2003, Bryan served as the volunteer Executive Director of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education, Bryan worked as an education advisor to the Texas Governor’s Business Council. Bryan previously worked as a Psychological Associate in private practice for 12 years and as a public school teacher in Houston, Texas for seven years.

Bryan received her Bachelor of Arts from Houston Baptist University in 1969 and her Master of Education from the University of Houston in 1978. She has served as Vice Chair of the National Board for Education Sciences.