Luncheon Address 2012

Bob Wise
President, Alliance for Excellent Education and former Governor of West Virginia;
Charles W. Eliot Award Recipient for 2012


Education has always been a priority for Bob Wise, President of the Washington-based Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. A sought-after speaker, Governor Wise is a respected authority on high school policy, advocating for reform in America's secondary education system and working to ensure that all students graduate from high school college-and-career-ready, prepared to be contributing members of society.

As governor of West Virginia, he signed legislation to fund the merit-based PROMISE Scholarship program, substantially increasing college attendance for state high school graduates. He established a character education curriculum and created the Governor's Helpline for safer schools. He proposed salary bonuses for teachers who achieved National Board Certification and tripled the rate of certified teachers in the state. As a result, West Virginia saw significant increase in the number of students completing high school and entering college. Additionally, Education Week's “Quality Counts 2004” gave West Virginia the highest cumulative grade out of all fifty states.

Governor Wise is author of the book, Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth and Our Nation, chair of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and co-chair of the Digital Learning Council with Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida. He has advised the U.S. Department of Education White House Transition Team and frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress. From 1983 to 2001, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and worked aggressively to preserve federal financial aid for college students.

He has appeared on national television and radio programs, including Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN), The Charlie Rose Show (PBS), the PBS NewsHour, and the Diane Rehm Show (NPR). He has been featured in publications such as Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post.