Partnerships and Governance

Our organizational structure and our working approaches are based on collaboration and integration of proven practices from education and business. We are a private/public collaborative that leverages and creates partnerships, relationships and alliances that support the new work of leadership of school improvement. We operate as a four-way collaboration among business, higher education, K-12 education, and state government. We have received funding support from: 

• BellSouth

• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

• Citigroup Foundation

• The GE Foundation

• GE Power Systems

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education

• Georgia Power Foundation

• IBM

• The Primerica Foundation

• Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

• The Rockdale Foundation

• UPS Foundation

• The State of Georgia

• Wachovia

• The Wallace Foundation (SAELP grant)

• Washington Mutual

• SunTrust Directed Funds: Florence C. & Harry L. English Memorial Fund; Harriet McDaniel
  Marshall Trust; Walter H. & Marjory M. Rich Memorial Fund; and the Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust Fund

• Business and Private Donations
   

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education  http://www.gpee.org

• The Georgia Department of Education  http://www.doe.k12.ga.us

• Georgia School Superintendents Association  http://www.gssanet.org

• Georgia Association of Education Leaders  http://www.gael.org

• Board of Regents, P-16 Initiatives  http://www.usg.edu/p16

• The Governor's Office of Student Achievement  http://www.gaosa.org

Driving Change for Student Success
Education professionals with vision, courage, commitment, knowledge, skills, empathy, and a passion for student learning are the best hope for continuing school improvement throughout the state of Georgia. Revitalizing the organizational culture of Georgia’s public school system requires concerted, capable leadership effort.

Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement was created to ensure our state has the quality and supply of educational leaders to improve student achievement and the effectiveness of Georgia's schools:

• Develop leadership capacity in school superintendents, principals, and teacher-leaders who are in the pivotal positions to drive change for student success
• Advocate for policy changes that allow Georgia to get and keep highly capable educational leaders
• Conduct research to identify and institutionalize best practices for leadership of school improvement

Our Governance

We are directed by an Executive Committee representing:

• Governor's Office – Jennifer Rippner, Policy Advisor to the Governor; Martha Reichrath, Governor's Office of Student Achievement

• Georgia Department of Education – Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

• Georgia Professional Standards Commission – F.D. Toth, Executive Secretary

• Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia -- Dr. Jan Kettlewell, Associate Vice Chancellor for P-16 Initiatives

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education – Dr. Steve Dolinger, President

• K-12 Leadership Community – Sharon Patterson, Superintendent; Bibb County Schools
  Barbara Louis, Director of Secondary Curriculum, Coweta County Schools; Dr. Michele Taylor, Assistant Superintendent, Calhoun City Schools

• Member-at-large - Tom Upchurch, retired superintendent

• The Business Community – Ann Cramer, Director, Relations & Public Affairs, IBM

We are advised by a Coordinating Board representing:

• Executive Director - Deb Page

• Governor’s Office - Teresa MacCartney, Martha Reichrath, Jennifer Rippner

• Georgia General Assembly - Representative Kathy Ashe

• Georgia State Board of Education - Wanda Barrs

• Georgia Department of Education - Stuart Bennett, Kathy Cox, Jeanie Weathersby

• Business Community - Ann Cramer, IBM; Monica DeShon, Washington Mutual; Joy Hawkins, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Gary Lee, UPS; Oz Nelson, UPS

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education - Steve Dolinger

• Georgia Professional Standards Commission - F.D. Toth

• Higher Education - Randall Dobbs, Jan Kettlewell, Robert Michael

• K-12 Superintendents, Principals, Teachers - Betsy Brown, Beverly Hall, Barbara Louis, Grady Miles, Sharon Patterson, Michele Taylor

• Regional Educational Service Agencies - Mona Tucker

• School Administrator/School Board Organizations - Tony Arasi, Herbert Garrett, Jim Puckett

• School Council Institute - Cathy Henson

• At-large - Leroy Erving, Tom Upchurch             

• Southern Regional Education Board - Gene Bottoms

• Georgia Public Policy Foundation - Holly Robinson