New Ohio Education Retreat Brings Policymakers Together

The first Ohio State Legislators Retreat will be held in Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus, OH – The Hunt Institute is hosting the inaugural Ohio Legislators Retreat on Thursday, September 16 and Friday, September 17. Representative Gayle Manning and Senator Andrew Brenner, who chair the Primary & Secondary Education Committee, will co-chair the retreat. 

“After spending 37 years as an elementary school teacher, it’s an honor to serve on the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee,” said Representative Gayle Manning. “By partnering with The Hunt Institute, I hope my fellow policymakers can better understand important issues like adequate funding for students and flexibility in assessments during these unprecedented times.” 

In addition to discussing Ohio’s new state funding formula and school testing and accountability, the two-day bipartisan convening will also cover early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retainment, innovation, social-emotional learning, evidence-based literacy, and more.  

“It’s especially important right now to make sure policymakers understand the importance of getting our children back into the classroom and learning,” said Senator Andrew Brenner. “Our children can’t afford to lose another minute of learning inside the classroom, so I’m glad that we’re working with The Hunt Institute to embed some of these tough conversations into this meeting.” 

Former Governor Bob Taft and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted  will all speak during the Retreat’s sessions. Legislators will also hear from education leaders and resource experts, including: 

• The Honorable Andrew Brenner, Chair, Primary and Secondary Education Committee, Ohio State Senate District 19
• The Honorable Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, 2019 – Present, Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow, Cohort Two
• The Honorable Gayle Manning, Chair, Primary and Secondary Education Committee, Ohio House of Representatives District 55
• The Honorable Susana Martinez, Former Governor of New Mexico, 2011 – 2019 
• The Honorable Bob Taft, Former Governor of Ohio, 1999 – 2007 
• The Honorable Bob Wise, Former Governor of West Virginia, 2001 – 2005  
• Chad Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy, Thomas B. Fordham Institute 
• Mya Baker, Vice President – Midwest, TNTP 
• Dr. Kymyona Burk, Policy Director for Early Education, ExcelinEd 
• Kristi Burre, Director of Children’s Initiatives, The Office of Governor Mike DeWine 
• Kelly Butler, Executive Director, The Barksdale Reading Institute   
• Dr. Jonathan Collins, Assistant Professor of Education, Brown University 
• Anthony Coy-Gonzalez, 2021 Ohio Teacher of the Year, Ohio School for the Deaf 
• Lori Criss, Director, Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services 
• Dr. Juan D’Brot, Senior Associate, Center for Assessment  
• Superintendent Paolo DeMaria, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education 
• Scott Dutey, Superintendent, Portsmouth City Schools 
• Dr. Romules Durant, Superintendent, Toledo Public Schools  
• Dr. Katina Foley, Principal, Weinland Park Elementary, Columbus City Schools 
• Chancellor Randy Gardner, Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education 
• Eric Gordon, CEO, Cleveland Metropolitan Schools 
• Claudia Herrold, Chief Communications & Public Policy Officer, Philanthropy Ohio  
• Dr. Christy Hovanetz, Senior Policy Fellow, Accountability, ExcelinEd 
• Jack Hunter, Principal, The Aerospace and Natural Science Technology Academy, Toledo Public Schools 
• WillaMarie Jackson, President-Elect, Ohio School Counseling Association 
• Dr. David James, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Columbus City Schools 
• Scott Jenkins, Strategy Director for State Policy, Lumina Foundation  
• Larry Johnson, Principal, Firestone Community Learning Center, Akron Public Schools 
• Leila Kubesch, 2020 Ohio Teacher of the Year, Norwood Middle School 
• Kenton Lee, Executive Director of Accelerated & Extended Learning, Columbus City Schools 
• Jasmine Maze, Principal, Cleveland High School for Digital Arts, Cleveland Metropolitan Schools 
• Dr. Ellen McWilliams-Woods, CAO & Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Akron Public Schools 
• Dr. Brad Mitchell, Independent Consultant  
• Josh Morris, Curriculum Coordinator, Portsmouth City Schools 
• Dr. Desiree Polk-Bland, Vice President, Student Affairs, Columbus State Community College 
• Dr. Mandy Sorge, Executive Director, National Association of Early Childhood Specialists 
• Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, President, Complete College America 
• Dr. Melissa Weber-Mayrer, Director, Office of Approaches to Teaching & Professional Learning, Ohio Department of Education 
• Dr. Sajit Zachariah, Dean, College of Education & Human Services, Cleveland State University 

Since hosting the inaugural North Carolina Legislators Retreat in 2003, The Hunt Institute has expanded the model to seven states, including Ohio.  

“Through this partnership with Representative Manning and Senator Brenner, I look forward to helping Ohio state legislators build capacity to create evidence-based policies that make education equitable for all students,” said The Hunt Institute President and CEO Dr. Javaid Siddiqi. “When it comes to education, Ohio underscores the importance of equity, impact, and innovation, and this makes us excited to begin our partnership with the state.”