The 2012 conference committee looks forward to announcing a new slate of state and national education leaders who will present dynamic and engaging keynote addresses to our conference attendees.
Monday, March 26: Morning General Session
Chris Cerf
Acting Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Education
Chris Cerf was sworn in as New Jersey’s Acting Commissioner of Education on January 18, 2011, following his nomination by Governor Christie. As Acting Commissioner, he oversees 2,500 public schools, 1.4 million students, and 110,000 teachers in over 600 school districts. Commissioner Cerf is committed to advancing excellence and equity in our public education system and is focused on closing New Jersey’s academic achievement gap while substantially raising the achievement level of all New Jersey students.
Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Cerf was the CEO of Sangari Global Education, which offers innovative education programming to more than 500,000 students worldwide. Between 2004 and 2009, he was Deputy Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, where he oversaw organizational strategy, innovation, labor relations and all matters pertaining to recruiting, supporting, developing and evaluating nearly 80,000 teachers and 1,450 principals. As a partner in the Public Private Strategy Group, he served as New York City Chancellor Joel Klein’s Chief Advisor on Transformation. Commissioner Cerf also served for eight years as the president and chief operating officer of Edison Schools, Inc, the nation’s largest private-sector manager of public schools.
A graduate of Amherst College and Columbia Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review, Commissioner Cerf served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Prior to attending law school, he spent four years as a high school history teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from the Broad Urban Superintendents Academy in 2004.
Tuesday, March 27: Morning General Session
Howard Fuller, Ph.D.
Founder/Director
Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Marquette University
Howard Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education. Dr. Fuller is a Distinguished Professor of Education and founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 1995, the Institute’s mission is to support exemplary education options that transform learning for children, while empowering families, particularly low-income families, to choose the best option for their children.
Immediately before his appointment at Marquette University, Dr. Fuller served as the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, where became nationally known for his unending support for fundamental educational reform. He also has served as director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services; dean of general education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College; secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations; and associate director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University. He was also a senior fellow with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
He is the chair of the board of directors of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and the chairman of the Charter School Review Committee for the City of Milwaukee. He also serves on the board of directors of Transcenter for Youth; the Wisconsin United for Health Foundation; the Johnson Foundation; and the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program. He is an active member of several other community and national organizations.
Dr. Fuller received his B.S. degree in sociology from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin; an M.S.A. degree in social administration from Western Reserve University in Cleveland; and his Ph.D. in sociological foundations of education from Marquette University, Milwaukee.