Readout of the U.S. Department of Education’s North Carolina State Education Leadership Conference

The U.S. Department of Education this week hosted at its headquarters in Washington a State Education Leadership Conference for key North Carolina education officials. This was the second in a series of meetings held by the Department to give state leaders the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with senior Department officials on a wide range of education-related topics.

Participants discussed issues important to the Tar Heel State, including the Secretary’s Education Freedom Scholarship proposal, Higher Education Act reauthorization, efforts to improve school safety, Perkins Transition Plans, and ESSA Implementation, among other shared topics of interest.

“Secretary DeVos’ State Education Leadership Conference series provides a valuable means to empower state and local leaders,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Dr. Mitchell Zais, who presided over the conference. “These meetings provide an opportunity for state and local decision-makers to engage on key issues of the day and provide awareness of federal resources that support state and local initiatives. I look forward to continuing the Department’s strong relationship with North Carolina.”

Participants from the U.S. Department of Education

  • Deputy Secretary Dr. Mitchell Zais
  • Acting Under Secretary Diane Jones
  • Assistant Secretary Frank Brogan, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Assistant Secretary Johnny Collett, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
  • Assistant Secretary Scott Stump, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education
  • Assistant Deputy Secretary Jose Viana, Office of English Language Acquisition
  • McKenzie Snow, policy advisor to the Secretary

Participants from North Carolina

  • Dan Forest, Lieutenant Governor
  • Amy White, member of the State Board of Education
  • David Powers, member of the Board of Governors, University of North Carolina System
  • James McCleskey, director of North Carolina’s Washington Office, Office of Governor Cooper
  • Elizabeth Morra, vice president of federal affairs, University of North Carolina System