Forum Network

Helen F. Ladd is the Edgar Thompson Professor of Public Policy Studies and professor of economics at Duke University. Prior to 1986, she taught at Dartmouth College, Wellesley College, and at Harvard University, first in the City and Regional Planning Program and then in the Kennedy School of Government. She graduated with a BA degree from Wellesley College in 1967, received a master's degree from the London School of Economics in 1968, and earned her PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1974. Most of her current research focuses on education policy. Most recently, she has co-edited *The Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy (2008)*, and co-authored (with Edward Fiske) *Elusive Equity: Education Reform in Post-Apartheid South Africa (Brookings Institution, 2004 and HSRC Press in paperback, 2005*). She is also the editor of *Holding Schools Accountable: Performance-Based Reform in Education (Brookings Institution, 1996)* and the coauthor (with Edward Fiske) of *When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale (Brookings Institution, 2000)* which draws lessons for the US from New Zealand.

Edward B. Fiske is an internationally known education writer and editor who has written informatively on topics ranging from American higher education to primary school reform in Southeast Asia, New Zealand and South Africa. Formerly the education editor of the *New York Times*, Mr. Fiske is well known as the author of the best-selling *Fiske Guide to Colleges* (Sourcebooks), an annual publication that has been a standard part of college admissions literature for two decades. He is a regular contributor to the *International Herald-Tribune*. In addition to the *New York Times* his articles and book reviews have appears in *American Prospect*, *Atlantic Monthly*, *The New Republic*, *Readers Digest* and other national publications. He has received numerous awards for education reporting and serves on a number of boards of non-profit organizations, including the Foundation for Excellent Schools in Vermont, the Center for International Understanding in Raleigh, NC, and the Central Park School, a charter school in Durham, NC.

**Governor Charlie Baker** was sworn in for a second term as the 72nd Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on January 3, 2019, after a first term focused on moving Massachusetts forward through bipartisan, results-driven leadership. Since taking office, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito have assembled a diverse team and put forth a ‘get stuff done’ approach to build a state government that is as thrifty, hard-working and creative as the people of Massachusetts. Raised in Needham, Governor Baker attended Massachusetts public schools and is a graduate of Harvard College. He went on to earn a Master's of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he met his wife Lauren. The Bakers reside in Swampscott, have been heavily involved in numerous civic and charitable endeavors, and are the proud parents of their three children, Charlie, AJ, and Caroline.

Richard C. Lord is President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM). AIM. is an employer service organization of more than 5,400 member companies. He joined AIM in 1991 and served as Executive Vice President for Legislative Policy where he was responsible for AIM.'s public policy analysis and legislative efforts on health care, economic development, taxation, worker's compensation, and other areas of special interest to employers in the Commonwealth. Prior to joining AIM, he served as Chief of Staff for the Committee on Ways and Means of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Committee is responsible for all legislation involving state funds and revenues, including the Commonwealth's annual budget and all tax related matters. The Committee employed gun for six years, where he served as the Budget Director before being promoted to the Chief of Staff position. He is a native of North Adams, Massachusetts and a 1977 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology.

Richard Marlin is the Legislative Director for the Massachusetts Building Trades Council, representing thousands of workers in the construction trades across the Commonwealth. He previously served as the Legislative Director for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO for 14 years, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

John E. McDonough is the executive director of Health Care For All, a Massachusetts consumer health advocacy organization. While completing this project, he was an associate professor at the Heller School at Brandeis University. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives between 1985 and 1997. He holds a doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan and a master in public administration from Harvard University.

Pooja Makhijani was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Edison, New Jersey. She attended Johns Hopkins University, where she received a degree in biomedical engineering. Pooja also received her Masters in Fine Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. Makhijani's work has appeared in *The New York Times*, *The Village Voice*, *The Newark Star-Ledger*, T*he Indian Express*, *Time Out New York*, *India Today*, *Writing*, *Weekly Reader*, and *Time Out New York Kids* among others. She is the editor of *Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America* (Seal Press, November 2004), an anthology of essays by women that explores the complex ways in which race shapes American lives and families. She is also the author of *Mama's Saris* (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007). *Mama's Saris* tells the story of a precocious girl's desire to dress up in her mother's beautiful saris. Pooja is the proud receiver of the 2003 Magazine Award Honor in Nonfiction by The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for her essay, "The First Time," in the November/December 2003 issue of *Cicada*. Pooja is also deeply interested in using memoir and storytelling to discuss and deconstruct the idea of race. She has conducted several writing workshops for young adults on this topic. In addition, she teaches writing and children's literature at Western Connecticut State University's new MFA in Professional Writing program. Pooja currently resides in New York City with her husband.