California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Linda Darling-Hammond, EDU '78 head of the 11-member California state Board of Education. Darling-Hammond is one of the most renowned names in education. An expert in teacher education and educational equity, she served as transition chief to Barack Obama after his 2008 presidential election win. Darling-Hammond is a former president of the American Educational Research Association and recipient of its awards for Distinguished Contributions to Research, Lifetime Achievement, and Research-to-Policy. She is also former executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, whose 1996 report "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future," was named one of the most influential reports affecting U.S. education in that decade.
Photo by Lauren Faggella, Summit Learning