Two national education thought leaders join NWEA Board of Directors

Ericka Miller and Tony Smith appointed to NWEA's diverse group of educational assessment and nonprofit management experts

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NWEA

Jan 14, 2020, 08:00 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA's Board of Directors appoints two national education experts to help direct the not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators with assessment solutions designed to provide insights that help tailor instruction. New board members will start their term of service this month.

Ericka Miller is partner in the Washington D.C. office of Isaacson, Miller and leads the executive search firm's preK-12 education and education improvement practice while also serving on the firm's executive committee. Miller has extensive expertise in education and college/career readiness and recently held the position of Vice President for Operations and Strategic Leadership at The Education Trust. She was also nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education for the U.S. Department of Education in 2013 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. She holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and master's and doctoral degrees from Stanford University.

Tony Smith is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Whyspeople, which provides strategic advising and executive coaching to leaders working to create thriving communities. Most recently, Smith served as the Illinois State Superintendent of Education. Prior to serving in that role he was the Executive Director of the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation funding early childhood, youth development, and education. Smith has served in leadership roles in the nonprofit, higher education, and public preK-12 district sectors including as Superintendent in Emeryville and Oakland, Ca. He earned a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of California, Berkeley.

"We are taking our excellence in assessment quality and educational research and using it to revinvent assessments where instructional relevance and student learning take center stage," said Chris Minnich, CEO of NWEA, "Adding these two thoughtful voices in education to our already exceptional group of board members will provide our organization with the leadership to continue our legacy of innovation and excellence."

"NWEA is in an exciting, transformative stage in its history right now. I am pleased to welcome such high caliber board members to help govern the journey as NWEA takes great leaps to reach more students with key insights designed to facilitate learning," said Ken Wong, Chair of the Board of Directors for NWEA.

About NWEA

NWEA^® is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. Educators in more than 10,000 schools, districts, and education agencies in 141 countries rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP^® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP^® Skills™; our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP^® Reading Fluency™; and our new assessment solution that combines growth and proficiency measurement. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

SOURCE NWEA