The Nation's Report Card and 12th Grade Academic Preparedness:
Regional Symposium

The Panelists

• + bio Governor Ronnie Musgrove, Presiding
  Chair, NAEP 12th Grade Preparedness Commission
  Former Governor of Mississippi
  

  The Honorable Ronnie Musgrove was Governor of the State of Mississippi from 2000 through 2004, having served two terms as State Senator and Chairman of the Education Committee. He is an attorney, having joined Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush. P.A. in 2004, where he is Of Counsel. He has served as Chairman of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern States Energy Board, and the Southern Growth Policies Board. Governor Musgrove has also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Governors Association, the Executive Committee of the Democratic Governors Association, the National Assessment Governing Board, and the National Governors Association. He is a strong proponent of public education and is active in volunteerism, working with both Habitat for Humanity and Stewpot Community Services. He is a graduate of Northwest Mississippi Community College, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi Law School.

• + bio The Honorable Lamar Alexander
  United States Senate
  

  The Honorable Lamar Alexander is serving his second term as a U.S. Senator. He chairs the Senate Republican Conference and is a member of committees overseeing education, clean air, highways, science, appropriations, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. He is the only Tennessean ever popularly elected both Governor and U.S. Senator. Senator Alexander has served as U.S. Education Secretary, University of Tennessee President, and Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He has chaired the National Governors Association and President Reagan's Commission on Americans Outdoors. In private life, he helped found the nation's largest provider of worksite day care. As Governor, he helped Tennessee become the third-largest auto producer and the first state to pay teachers more for teaching well.

  He is a classical and country pianist and the author of seven books.

  Senator Alexander was born in Maryville, the son of a kindergarten teacher and an elementary school principal, and is a seventh generation Tennessean. He earned his bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the New York University School of Law. Lamar Alexander and Honey Buhler were married in 1969. They have four children and four grandchildren.

• + bio Janet Ayers
  President, The Ayers Foundation
  Tennessee Businesswoman

  Janet Ayers is a recognized business leader and philanthropist throughout the State of Tennessee with over twenty years of service in health care administration.

  In 1987, Mrs. Ayers began her career in Health Care Administration at Four Oaks Health Care Center. After five years of service, she assumed the Administrator position at Erwin Health Care in Erwin, TN and served as the Administrator for the next 15 years. She was an active member of the Tennessee Health Care Association (THCA) and received the Distinguished Professional Service Award and the Distinguished Association Service Award. She served multiple positions including President of THCA. She also served as commissioner of Tennessee Health Facilities Commission for five years.

  In addition to her health care interests, she is active in a number of civic, educational and charitable organizations. Mrs. Ayers is an active board member of Centerstone, Centerstone Research Institute, Abe's Garden, The Ayers Foundation, Nashville Symphony, Unicoi County Economic Development Board, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and United Way of Unicoi County. She and her husband are the shared recipients of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' 2007 Philanthropists of the Year Award.

  In 2007, Mrs. Ayers became the President of The Ayers Foundation. The Ayers Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the people of Tennessee with a special emphasis on Decatur, Henderson, Perry and Unicoi Counties. The Foundation believes this is best accomplished by providing grants for scholarships, counselors, programs and related projects for educational enhancement, innovative health care, and organizations dedicated to the preservation of our natural resources and wildlife habitats for hunting and fishing.

  Mrs. Ayers received her Bachelors Degree in Health Care Administration from East Tennessee State University in 1986. She is married to James Wesley Ayers and is the proud mother of one daughter, Sarah Katherine Givens.

• + bio Kevin Huffman
  Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education
  

  Kevin Huffman was appointed Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education by Governor Bill Haslam in April 2011. He has spent nearly two decades working with public education systems as a teacher, lawyer, non-profit executive and non-profit board member. Mr. Huffman began his education career as a first- and second-grade bilingual teacher in Houston, Texas, teaching students in English and Spanish. As a lawyer at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Hogan & Hartson, Mr. Huffman represented school districts, state departments of education, and universities, working on policy and litigation matters including challenges to state finance systems, desegregation litigation, and special education hearings and trials. He joined the senior management of Teach For America in 2000, serving as General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Growth Strategy and Development, and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. During his tenure in the leadership team, Teach For America grew into the largest provider of new teachers in the country. Mr. Huffman graduated from Swarthmore College with a bachelor's degree in English literature, and received a law degree from the New York University School of Law.

• + bio Mike Krause
  Director of Academic Affairs, Tennessee Higher Education Commission
  

  Mike Krause is the Director of Academic Affairs for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. In this capacity, he is responsible for several facets of the state's higher education coordinating efforts, including the health and productivity of new and existing academic programs, management of an array of P-16 efforts, and the administration of several grant programs. Prior to joining THEC, Mr. Krause served as a Policy Analyst and Researcher for the Tennessee State Senate. During this time, he was the principal Senate staffer for several pivotal education initiatives, including the Tennessee First to the Top Act and the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010. Mr. Krause, a proud Nashville resident, holds a bachelor's degree from Austin Peay State University and a Master of Education Policy degree from Vanderbilt University.

• + bio Gary L. Nixon
  Executive Director, Tennessee State Board of Education
  

  Dr. Gary L. Nixon was appointed to the position of Executive Director of the Tennessee State Board of Education on September 1, 2004. Dr. Nixon is a native of Tennessee and received his Bachelor's degree in Education from Tennessee Technological University. He holds a Master's degree in Education and Educational Specialist degree from Tennessee Technological University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Administration from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Nixon was recognized by Tennessee Technological University as a "Distinguished Alumni" on February 1, 2008.

  Dr. Nixon began his educational experience as a chemistry/physics teacher at Cumberland County High School in 1971 and later served as Principal of Cumberland County High School. He moved to Nashville in 1994 and worked for the Tennessee State Board of Education for six years as a Research Associate, Interim Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director until December of 1999. On January 3, 2000, Dr. Nixon became the Principal of Blackman High School for Rutherford County Schools. He opened the new Blackman High School in August 2000 and served as its Principal until assuming the position of Executive Director of the State Board of Education.

  He believes four initiatives are absolutely essential to moving education forward in Tennessee as we meet the ever increasing demands of global competition — the Pre-Kindergarten program; middle grades education; high schools that prepare students to successfully enter both postsecondary education and the workplace and effective leadership that results in increased student achievement.

• + bio Ralph Schulz
  President and CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
  

  Ralph Schulz is president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, a non-profit, member-based organization founded in 1847, is Middle Tennessee's largest business federation and a leading driver of economic and community development.

  Prior to joining the Chamber, Mr. Schulz served as president and CEO of Adventure Science Center where he built a team credited with transforming the organization into one of the most successful youth-focused science centers in the nation based on attendance, exhibits, capital contributions and community support.

  Mr. Schulz's foray in non-profit management began in Nashville with Junior Achievement, Inc. He held leadership roles with Junior Achievement, heading chapters in Jackson, Mississippi, Dallas, Texas and New York City and later served as national executive vice president for Junior Achievement. Returning to Nashville in 1996, he joined the National Federation of Independent Business Education Foundation.

  Mr. Schulz is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He and his wife, Leeanne, have four grown children and two grandchildren.

• + bio Douglas Horne
  Member, NAEP 12th Grade Preparedness Commission
  Trustee, University of Tennessee

  Douglas Horne founded Horne Properties, Inc. in 1981, which owns office buildings, apartment complexes, shopping centers, and real estate across the country. In 1988, he founded Republic Newspapers, Inc. and in 1997 founded Horne Radio, which owns numerous radio stations in East Tennessee. He was appointed to the Advisory Board of The Kennedy Center and is a member of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He currently serves as a University of Tennessee Board Trustee and is on the Board of Franklin Graham's Samaritan Purse Christian organization.

• + bio Mark Musick
  Advisor, NAEP 12th Grade Preparedness Commission
  James H. Quillen Chair of Excellence in Education and Teaching, East Tennessee State University

  Mark Musick holds the James H. Quillen Chair of Excellence in Education and Teaching at East Tennessee State University and is president emeritus of the Southern Regional Education Board, America's first interstate compact for education. Mr. Musick was appointed by three U.S. Secretaries of Education to chair the National Assessment Governing Board. He is a charter member of the new board of ACT, Inc., serving as lead director of the ACT board and as a member of the ACT executive committee. Mr. Musick was elected in 2006 to the board of directors of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.

• + bio B. Fielding Rolston
  Member, National Assessment Governing Board
  Chairman, Tennessee State Board of Education

  B. Fielding Rolston is the Chairman of the Tennessee State Board of Education, which is the governing and policy-making body for the Tennessee system of public elementary and secondary education. He was first appointed to that board in 1996. With a professional background in engineering, Mr. Rolston also has served as board chairman for several other organizations in the field of higher education, health and industry, including the Wellmont Health System, the Board of Trustees for Emory and Henry Colleges, and the Eastman Credit Union Board of Directors. In 2003, he retired from Eastman Chemical Company with more than 38 years of service that included work as an industrial engineer. Mr. Rolston held a series of management posts in industrial engineering, strategic planning, supply and distribution, and human resources and communications. Mr. Rolston was appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board in October 2011.

• + bio Darvin Winick
  Advisor, NAEP 12th Grade Preparedness Commission
  Executive Director, Institute for Public School Initiatives,
  The University of Texas at Austin

  Darvin Winick served as Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board from 2002 to September 2009 and is currently an advisor to the Governing Board's National Assessment of Educational Progress 12th Grade Preparedness Commission. He is President of Winick & Associates. Dr. Winick is a Senior Research Fellow, College of Education and Executive Director of the Institute for Public School Initiatives at The University of Texas at Austin. Previously, Dr. Winick was an advisor to the 1984 Texas Select Committee on Public Education, and also helped organize the Texas Business and Education Coalition and Texans for Education. He was Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee of the Texas Educational Economic Policy Center, which set out the framework for the current Texas Public School Accountability System. He has served as volunteer Chief of Staff for the Texas Governor's Task Force on Education, Vice Chair of the Governor's Focus on Reading Task Force, and a member of the Education Commissioner's Committee on Accountability. He co-authored Four-Star Schools of Texas, a report on public school campus performance, and has edited reports on education accountability, early reading instruction, and teacher preparation. Dr. Winick is a certified management consultant and a founding member of the Institute of Management Consultants. He holds a doctorate in organizational psychology from Purdue University.