Teacher Prep Accreditor Conducts National Search for President

WASHINGTON, DC (June 15, 2015) – A national search is underway for the next president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The CAEP President Search Committee has selected the firm of Witt/Kieffer in Oak Brook, Ill., to manage the process.

Dr. Christopher Koch, former Illinois State Superintendent of Education, is serving as interim president of CAEP.

The Board’s vision is clear and consistent: to transform educator preparation through implementation of the CAEP Standards, so that graduates improve P-12 student learning.

“There is a national movement to improve teacher preparation. The public, the profession, and the CAEP staff are behind the rigorous CAEP Standards - and the CAEP Board is committed to finding a president who can carry that vision forward. We must, and will, implement these standards and continue this critical work,” said Mary Brabeck, CAEP Board Chair.

The CAEP President Search Committee and staff worked with the search firm to identify the qualities and values desired in the next president.  CAEP is searching for a leader who will clarify and implement the pathways to accreditation and unite the field in support of the rigorous CAEP standards.  This person needs to be a visionary leader, a masterful communicator, and a person who inspires trust and collaboration. 

The proposed timeline has the CAEP Board announcing the new leader by mid-autumn.

The 11-member search committee is comprised of CAEP Board members, education leaders, researchers, and education deans:

• CHAIR: Rick Ginsberg, Dean, University of Kansas
• Becky Pringle, Vice President, National Education Association
• Mary Brabeck, Chair, CAEP Board of Directors; Dean Emerita, New York University
• Chris Minnich, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers
• Candy Olson, School Board Member, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Fla.
• Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, Dean, California State Long Beach
• Michael Feuer, Dean, George Washington University; President, National Academy of Education
• Tom Bordenkircher, State Director for Teaching Fellowships, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
• Lee Shulman, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University
• Karen Gallagher, Dean, University of Southern California
• Scott Jackson Dantley, Staff, CAEP

“CAEP has a strong vision. CAEP has a strong foundation. CAEP has a talented, hard working staff – all committed to a single focus – improving P-12 education for this country. Our work as a committee is to select a leader to leverage those strengths to address challenges and deliver on the education field’s shared accountability – quality educators for every child,” said Rick Ginsberg, Chair of the Search Committee.

Suggestions of candidates, comments, and questions about this search may be directed to: CAEPPresident@wittkieffer.com.

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About CAEP

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEPnet.org) advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.