WASHINGTON — The American Council on Education has selected former U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell as its 13th president, the organization announced today.
With the appointment, Mitchell — who succeeds Molly Corbett Broad, who served as the council’s president since 2008 — becomes the latest in a string of former Department of Education officials during the Obama administration who have assumed presidencies at education advocacy organizations here in the nation’s capital.
The trend is one that at least one federal education policy observer says is a sign of a “loyal opposition” that has unfinished business in the area of education reform even though they no longer work in government.
Among them is John B. King. Jr. — president of Education Trust and former secretary of education under President Obama.
King praised Mitchell as a champion for “expanding educational excellence and equity—particularly for students in historically underserved communities.”
“Ted’s experience in government and as a college president and administrator, as well as his unwavering commitment to a world-class education for every student, make him an outstanding choice to lead the American Council on Education, which will undoubtedly continue to be at the forefront of critical national conversations on postsecondary education,” King said in a statement to Diverse.
“As Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education, Ted worked to foster innovation; strengthen accountability; and provide every student with the opportunity to earn an affordable, high-quality degree or credential that offers a clear path to economic security and success,” King said.
