MASSACHUSETTS 
Front Row (left to right): John Portz (Coordinator), Rachel Trant, Jennifer Amaya-Thompson, Lynn Summerill, Matthew Deninger, Matthew Pakos, Katie Sagarin, Eve Laubner
Back Row (left to right): Anthony Siddall, Cynthia Wheeler, Erin Salius, Blair Brown, Elaine Webb, Corey Zimmerman, Dorothy Presser (Coordinator)
Not Pictured: David Borer, Deborah Gray, Scotti Finnegan
Since 1976, the Massachusetts EPFP has served over 400 individuals ranging from school principals and other school leaders, to college and university administrators, to people involved in financing education and state education leaders. The goal of the program is to acquaint Fellows with relevant aspects of state and national government, to help them develop a better understanding of policy development and implementation, and to develop their leadership capabilities for the 21st Century. The Fellows also focus on the role of government in education at both the state and federal levels and explore the role that Fellows can play in shaping and challenging reform efforts in the state. The program year begins with an overnight retreat and includes periodic three-hour evening sessions that focus on different aspects of educational leadership and policy. Fellows also visit the Massachusetts State House for one afternoon to hear from state policymakers. Each fellow develops an individual development plan and also presents to the group a personal leadership challenge. Additional information about the MA EPFP is available on the program’s website at http://www.epfp.neu.edu/.
MASSACHUSETTS COORDINATORS
Michael S. Dukakis
Distinguished Professor
Department of Political Science
Northeastern University
303 Meserve Hall
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2796
Shortly after his 1988 bid for the Presidency, former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis began teaching in Northeastern University's Political Science Department. He teaches courses in public policy, leadership, health policy, and state and local policy. In the spring semester he teaches at UCLA. He also is involved in advising policymakers and elected officials. With EPFP, Professor Dukakis moderates two sessions: one is a case study of educational policymaking, and the second is a session on effective interactions with the media.
John Portz
Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science
Northeastern University
303 Meserve Hall
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-3391
j.portz@neu.edu
John Portz is the chairperson of the Political Science Department at Northeastern University. His teaching areas include public administration, public policy, and state and local government. His primary areas of research are leadership studies and education policy. He co-authored a book on education policy in three cities, City Schools and City Politics: Institutions and Leadership in Pittsburgh, Boston and St. Louis, and he is currently working with Dukakis on a study of "leader-managers" in the public sector. John also is active in his home community of Watertown, MA. He served as an elected member of the Town Council for eight years and has been an elected member of the School Committee since 2005.
Dorothy Presser (EPFP 05-06)
Chairman
Lynnfield School Committee
49 Edward Ave
Lynnfield, MA 01940
(781) 334-2908
dorothypresser@hotmail.com
Dorothy Presser became interested in education policy through her work as an elected school board member. Dorothy has been a member of the Lynnfield, Massachusetts School Committee since 1996 and is serving her seventh year as Chairman of the committee. While on the Committee, she was instrumental in establishing the district’s strategic plan, which focuses on continuous improvement in student achievement.
In addition to her service on the local school board, Dorothy is active in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. She has served on the MASC Board of Directors for two years and will become Secretary/Treasurer of the organization in 2009. As an MASC member, she has participated in numerous state and national conferences, including the Federal Relations Networking conference in Washington, DC. This annual conference aims to bring issues of education policy to the attention of members of Congress.
Dorothy consults for two organizations on two different projects. In one role, she is working with an urban school district to create the district’s first strategic plan. In the other, she is working to develop a summer program for high achieving high schools students focusing on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the humanities and leadership development.