National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) President and CEO Greg Richmond was selected today to serve as a Commissioner on The Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind. Richmond, an original architect of the charter school movement in Chicago, was tapped not only for his charter school expertise but also his school turnaround expertise. He will serve on the Commission’s Committee on School Improvement. The Commission, co-chaired by Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Governor Roy E. Barnes and comprised of an esteemed group of bipartisan, national education leaders, will spend the next year identifying and building widespread support for improvements in federal education policy.

“The Aspen Institute’s Commission is the model authority to provide sound recommendations to Congress and the Administration that empower all schools to be successful,” Richmond said. “Hundreds of schools across America educate students to high standards and successfully prepare them for college. Yet, thousands of other schools are not achieving this same goal. We know what works and now must begin the critical job of developing and implementing strategies to ensure all schools do what works. I am honored to serve on the Commission and look forward to beginning this important work.”

Tommy Thompson, Commission Co-chair and former Wisconsin governor and US Secretary of Health and Human Services, said, “Greg Richmond is an important addition to the Commission’s team. Greg has a strong track record in expanding high-quality charter school options for parents as well as hands-on experience in leading significant school turnaround and improvement efforts at the district level.”

The Commission has plotted an ambitious agenda, including a series of hearings on key education issues, including school improvement, teacher effectiveness, common standards, accountability and data, and high school reform. The Commission’s work will culminate with a series of new recommendations to Congress and the Obama Administration that refine and build on the recommendations identified in Aspen’s 2007 Beyond NCLB reauthorization blueprint.

Richmond has spent over a dozen years strengthening the charter sector and closing failing schools on the national and local levels. Working alongside then Chicago Public Schools’ CEO Arne Duncan, Richmond launched Chicago’s Renaissance 2010 initiative as the district’s Chief Officer for New Schools Development. He is a founding board member of NACSA and has served as its President and CEO for nearly five years. Under his leadership, NACSA’s national influence has grown substantially, increasing the quality of the charter sector in key cities across the country, including New Orleans, Oakland, New York City, and St. Louis. Richmond serves on several boards and committees, including Tulane University.

Richmond serves on several boards and committees, including Tulane University’s Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Advanced Certification for Education Leaders Steering Committee, and the Haitian Development Fund.