To see a list of past chairs, please click here. Education Commission of the States is privileged to have the following individuals provide leadership for our organization.
Jeremy Anderson
President
Jeremy Anderson is the president of Education Commission of the States, a national education policy organization that serves as a partner to state policymakers. In his role, Anderson works with all state education leaders, from governors to chief state school officers – from both political parties – to provide unbiased information, personalized support and opportunities for collaboration. Anderson is committed to helping states create informed education policy and better education systems for students, from early learning through postsecondary and the workforce. Jeremy is in airports more than the office, traveling frequently to visit with Education Commission of the States Commissioners and deliver key note presentations around the country. Prior to joining the organization in 2012, Jeremy built a strong public service record working with officials in Washington, D.C., with many governors and legislators in states and with education policy organizations around the country. Some of his accomplishments include providing strategic leadership on education policy design and implementation through projects with the National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Conference of State Legislatures and other national policy organizations. Jeremy has served in multiple policy and governmental affairs roles for governors on state and national education initiatives and was directly involved in brokering the bipartisan passage of the largest K-12 funding investment in Kansas history to avert a shutdown of Kansas schools. Jeremy’s passion for education runs deep; he was raised by two amazing teachers in Kansas and his wife is an early learning teacher in Colorado where they currently reside with their three children.
Laura Kelly
2023-25 Chair-Elect
Gov. Laura Kelly grew up in a career military family where she learned the importance of service, integrity, and accountability. She has made it her life’s work to fight for children and families as a four-term state senator and now in her second term as the 48th Governor of the State of Kansas.
In her first term, Gov. Kelly worked with both parties to balance the budget, fully fund schools, repair the state’s infrastructure, reform the child welfare system, and break records for business investment and job creation. She ended her first term with the largest budget surplus in history – even while cutting taxes for working families.
After putting Kansas back on track, Gov. Kelly was re-elected to a second term, which began on January 9, 2023.
Gov. Kelly has set a North Star for her second term – to make Kansas the best place in the country to raise a family – and has prioritized expanding affordable healthcare, supporting early childhood development, and continuing to spread prosperity to every corner of the state.
Gov. Kelly and her husband Ted Daughety, MD, have been married since 1983. They have two grown daughters, Molly Daughety, MD, Kathleen Daughety and her husband Mathias Weiden, and one grandchild, Laura “Rory” Weiden.
Asa Hutchinson
2022-23 Chair
Asa Hutchinson is the 46th governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65% of the vote, having received more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state’s history.
He has won recognition for the state as a leader in computer science education, cut taxes by over $250 million, and signed a law that exempts the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Gov. Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security, and education. The governor has been invited to the White House several times to join discussions about health care, Medicaid, and education issues.
Gov. Hutchinson is the former Chairman of the National Governors Association. He is also the former co-chair of the Council of Governors and the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Southern Regional Education Board.
He grew up on a small farm in Gravette. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas law school. He and his wife, Susan, have been married 49 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren.
Brittney Miller
2021-23 Vice Chair
Brittney Miller spent years successfully developing and managing programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor, in addition to the state of Michigan’s Department of Education, Department of Justice, and Department of Health and Human Services. She has a strong record of creating and administering these programs in public schools, workforce development, and prisoner reentry. Her experience is further enhanced as a result of her time in the financial industry. She is currently a licensed middle school teacher in theClark County School District with 10 years of classroom experience.
First elected to the Nevada Legislature in 2016, Miller is serving her third term in the state assembly, representing District 5. She is a passionate advocate for education, criminal justice reform, veterans, a diversified economy, and accountable government. Miller serves as chair of Assembly Legislative Operations and Election, vice chair of Assembly Education, and is a member of Assembly Ways & Means where she is the chair of the Subcommittee for Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Transportation. She is also a member of the Nevada Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force and the Nevada State Council for the Coordination Interstate Compact for Military Children.
Margie Vandeven
2021-23 Treasurer
Margie Vandeven is passionate about ensuring that each child has the opportunity to graduate prepared for success. She has more than 30 years of student-centered service in education, including five at Missouri’s top educational post. She is a teacher who has provided education leadership in the classroom, school, state and national roles assumed throughout her career. Vandeven joined the Department in 2005. She was appointed commissioner of elementary and secondary education by the Missouri State Board of Education in December 2014 and served in that capacity until December 2017. She was reappointed in January 2019. During the interim, Vandeven worked as the director of educational partnerships for the SAS Institute in Cary, North Carolina. As commissioner, Vandeven works collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders to improve educational opportunities for more than 918,000 Missouri students.
Vandeven began her education career in 1990 as a Missouri teacher. From 1995-2002, she taught high school English and served as an administrator in Maryland before returning to Missouri as an English teacher and administrator.