First row (left to right): Michael Gibbs, Julia Huff, Anita Weikel, Patricia Louison, Sarah Hollister, Thomas Persing
Second row (left to right): William McGill, Marilyn Hoyson, Tracey Johnson, Phyllis Comer
Third row (left to right): Bob New, Kim Creasy, Ronald Jumper
Fourth row (left to right): Mary Ellen Wells, Roberta Cartus, Robert Feir (Co-Coordinator)
Fifth Row (left to right): Jeffrey Caton, Diane Halstead, Alison Murawski, Jane Wilburne, David Harris
Sixth row (left to right): Suisan Gobreski, Ronald Cowell (Co-Coordinator), George Fike, Joseph Clapper, Kevin Peart, Deborah Wynn, John Tisson, Douglas Waters
Not Pictured: Andrew Barnette, Dawn Chavous, Brian Dougherty, Patrick Kelley, Arthur Mitchell,

Through the support and coordination of The Education Policy and Leadership Center, Pennsylvania’s EPFP is entering its ninth year of operation.  Fellows begin a series of nine in-state seminars with a two-day retreat in September and complete the program with a recognition ceremony for them and their sponsors in June.

The focus of the program has been on developing a broadened understanding of the complex policy issues and processes that impact the various components of the education system -- from early childhood to post-secondary education.  The Fellows participate in dialogue with key decision-makers, influencers, and practitioners in areas of statewide policy that impact children and their education.  Monthly seminar topics include: Lessons in Strategic Leadership, Making Public Policy in Pennsylvania, Standards-Based Education Reform, Improving Student Performance/Closing the Achievement Gap—What Works?, Instruction, Leadership and Governance, P-12 Education Funding Issues, Higher Education Policy Issues/Education and Workforce Issues, and Transformational Leadership.  Fellows spend a day at the state capitol, where they get a first-hand look at the legislative process and meet with key leaders.  They also spend a day at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, where instructors from the U.S. Army Department of Command, Leadership and Management (DCLM) share some of the strategic leadership concepts taught to military and government leaders at the War College. Cohorts include a diverse group of professionals from state agencies, public school districts, intermediate units, charter schools, state associations, colleges and universities, the U.S. Army, and non-profit organizations.

PENNSYLVANIA COORDINATORS

Ron Cowell

President
The Education Policy and Leadership Center
800 North Third Street, Suite 408
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 260-9900
FAX (717) 260-9903
cowell@eplc.org

Ron Cowell initiated the organization of The Education Policy and Leadership Center in 1998. He was elected by the board of directors to serve as the president of the Center and is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Center and its various projects. He also is a frequent speaker, writer and consultant concerning education policy issues. Ron served for twenty-four years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. While in the Legislature, Ron served as majority or minority chair of the Pennsylvania House Committee on Education for twelve years. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education for twelve years, a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for twenty years, and a member of Pennsylvania's Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Programs for more than ten years. He has been active at the national level, currently serving as a member of the board of directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and on several advisory committees. He served on the National Education Goals Panel for two years, is a past Vice-Chair of the Education Commission of the States, former chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Association of State Boards of Education, and former chair of the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. He remains active in Pennsylvania and nationally with efforts promoted by the Danforth Foundation to improve the delivery of services to children and families. Ron is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Widener University Law School.

Robert E. Feir

President, EdStrat21
Senior Fellow
The Education Policy and Leadership Center
2953 North Second Street
Harrisburg, PA  17110-1229
(717) 230-8616
FAX (717) 230-8717
rfeir@edstrat21.com

Robert E. Feir has been President of EdStrat21, an education strategies consulting firm with strengths in research, planning, evaluation, policy development, program design, project management, and grant writing, since 1997. He served as a member of the Harrisburg School District’s Board of Control from 2001-2005 and as chairman from 2004-2005. He also served as Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers (2005-2006) and as Project Manager of the State Board of Education’s Costing-Out Study (2006-2007), and currently serves as Director of Education Initiatives for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, and as Senior Fellow at The Education Policy and Leadership Center. From 2004-2005, he was Interim General Manager and CEO of the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.

From 1997-2000, he served as CEO and Managing Partner of The Learning Resources Group, Inc., which provided consultation, training, and technical assistance to support employer leadership of education reform efforts in local communities. In that role, he assessed and recommended improvements in schools located in urban, rural, and suburban communities in ten states.

Dr. Feir has 35 years of experience in education and education policy making. His work has encompassed elementary, secondary, and higher education and he has worked at the local, regional, and state levels in Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island. From 1994-1997, he served as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Business‑Education Partnership. In that position, he led a 1996 school-to-work study tour in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for Pennsylvania educators, employers, and government officials, under the sponsorship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Between 1981 and 1994, he held a number of Pennsylvania state policy positions, including Executive Director of the State Board of Education and the Senate Education Committee and Director of Policy for the Department of Education. Prior to his Pennsylvania state‑level work, he was a teacher, curriculum coordinator, school superintendent, and assistant director of an intermediate unit. In that position, he was responsible for providing curriculum and professional development services to 17 school districts. Dr. Feir has taught high school and community college students and inmates in a federal prison. He also served on the staff of the State University of New York Chancellor’s Panel on University Purposes. In recent years, he has been an adjunct graduate school instructor in education policy, public administration, and political science and an adjunct undergraduate assistant professor of political science. 

He holds a Ph.D. in political science from The Pennsylvania State University, master’s degrees in political science from the State University of New York at Albany and in education administration from Bucknell University, and a baccalaureate degree in political science from Bucknell.

Karen Molchanow (EPFP 07-08)

Manager of Policy Information and Programs
The Education Policy and Leadership Center
800 North Third Street
Suite 408
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 260-9900
karen@eplc.org

Karen Molchanow serves as Manager of Policy Information and Programs for The Education Policy and Leadership Center. Karen joined EPLC in August 2001 and served as a Policy Programs Associate for two years, then as Coordinator of Policy Information and Programs. In her current position, she is responsible for producing EPLC’s policy newsletter, monitoring education-related activity in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and state agencies, assisting with EPLC's policy studies and advocacy activities, and maintaining the Center’s web site.

Karen graduated from Millersville University's Honors College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and dual minors in Print Journalism and Political Science. In 2005, Karen participated in and authored a paper for the Ford Foundation’s Bridging Higher Education to the States initiative. Recently, she completed the Associates Program of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Karen also is a graduate of EPLC’s Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program and Institute for Community Leadership in Education.

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