Meet Our New Governing Board Members
Contact: Stephaan Harris, stephaan.harris@ed.gov, 202-357-7504
New Members Named to National Assessment Governing Board
October 27, 2026—(Washington, D.C) U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon appointed six education leaders to the National Assessment Governing Board today.
The National Assessment Governing Board sets policies for the Nation's Report Card, also known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP.
"These new Governing Board members will add immense value to our work. They bring a range of professional and life experiences that are directly relevant to the tasks ahead of us, which include releasing NAEP reading and math results in early 2027 and modernizing the NAEP program through our Next Gen NAEP initiative," said Governing Board Chair and Tennessee Rep. Mark White. Secretary McMahon also reappointed White to a second one-year term as chair of the Governing Board.
The new members are listed below.
Lauren Archer fills a role on the board held for a 4th-grade teacher. Archer teaches at McKinley Elementary School in Westfield, N.J. Archer is the lead author of the Westfield Public Schools 4th grade social studies and English language arts curriculum and aligned assessment. She has also led professional learning opportunities for educators and serves as an instructional technology support teacher.
Jacob Dykes is the principal of Ocean Springs High School in Ocean Springs, MS. He is filling the role on the Board reserved for a secondary principal. Dr. Dykes previously served as a biology and science teacher, assistant principal, and elementary principal. Under his leadership, Ocean Springs High School has been recognized as one of Mississippi's leading high schools.
Melia Franklin is joining the Board in a curriculum specialist role. She previously was a superintendent of the Sturgeon R-V School District (Missouri) and executive director of secondary learning in the Ozark School District. Dr. Franklin also served as director of English Language Arts and World Languages and assistant director of assessment at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Instruction. She began her career as an English teacher in Marceline Public Schools in Missouri.
Mark Miller is re-joining the Board in the role held for an 8th-grade math teacher. Miller previously served one term on the Governing Board from 2018-2022 when he helped lead the development of the new NAEP Mathematics framework, which determines the content NAEP covers. Governing Board members can serve two terms, which need not be consecutively held. Miller is a nationally board-certified math teacher and department chair at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School in Colorado Springs.
Jacob Oliva is serving on the Board in a role held for chief state school officers. Oliva is the Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education and Commissioner of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. He has successfully ushered in major education reforms in those roles, including bolstering early learning programs, strengthening literacy instruction, and prioritizing teacher recruitment and retention.
Michael Way is a parent representative on the Governing Board. Way, of Queens Creek, represents Legislative District 15 in the Arizona House of Representatives. He also is an executive at Charter One, a charter school management organization, where he leads establishing and expanding schools.
The Governing Board's role includes determining which grades and subjects NAEP assesses, what content to include on assessments, how NAEP achievement levels should be set, and how to make the Nation’s Report Card results meaningful and relevant to policymakers and the public.
See the list of Governing Board members here.
Download the PDF version of the release here.
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The National Assessment Governing Board (Governing Board) sets policy for the Nation’s Report Card, also called the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP. Created by Congress in 1988, the Governing Board is an independent, nonpartisan board whose 26 members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. For more information about the Governing Board, visit www.nagb.gov.