FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alexandra Manuel, Acting Executive Director, Alexandra.Manuel@PESB.wa.gov
Olympia, Washington – September 29, 2017
Professional Educator Standards Board Executive Directorship
In a Special Meeting of the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) on September 29, 2017 a decision was made to transition leadership in the role of Executive Director. Jennifer Wallace will be moving on from her position as PESB Executive Director.
The Board would like to acknowledge the contributions that Ms. Wallace has made as the original Executive Director of the Board, overseeing its development and emergence as a critical agency in the advancement of education in Washington State. Under her leadership PESB embraced its role as policymakers raising teaching standards and expanding opportunities to grow the educator workforce over the last seventeen years. Furthermore, the guidance she provided to educator preparation programs improved the regulatory function of the board and contributed to the emergence of innovative approaches and alternative routes to developing teaching talent. In recent years this work has been focused on an exciting new accountability framework to support institutions in an ongoing process of continuous improvement.
PESB would also like to thank Ms. Wallace for her state and national leadership on initiatives intended to create greater coherence between licensure and evaluation. Her efforts to add clarity to certification expectations for the broad range of roles comprising education in Washington State were appreciated by educators of all assignments.
According to Professional Educator Standards Board Chair Luke Thomas, “The Board is deeply grateful for the advocacy that Jennifer provided for teachers throughout our state. The voice of teachers has been uniquely empowered through this self-regulating board that has grown in authority and purpose under the direction of Jennifer Wallace. We wish her the best in all future endeavors.”
The Board announced at the Special Meeting that Deputy Director Alexandra Manuel will transition into the role of Acting Executive Director. Alex brings a strong background from within the organization to this role.
The Board will be working to finalize the process and timeline for the recruitment of a permanent Executive Director.
September 27, 2017
Notice of Special Meeting (PDF) – As a result of technical difficulties, the Special Meeting of the Board has been rescheduled for September 29, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
