Subject: Some news to share...
From: "Andy Rotherham" <[email-masked]>
To: "Andy Rotherham" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:25:16 -0400

Colleagues & Friends -

I'm pleased to share some exciting news with you about my future and
next steps for Education Sector.   Since launching in 2005 Education
Sector has developed from an idea that Tom Toch and I had in a bar into
a sustainable and high-impact organization.   Today, the team of 14 is
producing important work that's influencing and changing the education
debate on key issues and helping move the education conversation forward
through fresh thinking, rigorous analysis, and new ideas.  Our board of
directors is a diverse group committed to Education Sector.  In short,
the organization is poised to continue to thrive.  Helping to launch
Education Sector has been an outstanding professional opportunity and
tremendous learning experience.   

Yet as you know change is the only constant in life (even believe it or
not in American education) and now is the right time for some changes
and new challenges for me.  So, in March of next year I'm planning to
step down from my role at Education Sector to pursue some new
opportunities professionally and personally.   This will, in turn, mean
some changes and challenges for Education Sector, but they're changes
and challenges that the organization has the capacity to meet as it
evolves.   The Education Sector board of directors, led by Bruno Manno
and Macke Raymond, will lead a process around this transition.

For my part, I feel quite fortunate to be considering several different
and exciting opportunities and will make some decisions in the coming
months.  I'm excited about new opportunities for leadership in this
space as well as a chance to work on a broader set of issues and lay the
groundwork for future goals.  But, I continue to believe that
dramatically improving our system of public education remains an
absolutely essential social policy focus for our country.
Consequently, nothing I'm considering will take me out of the education
space or too far away from the effort to achieve the goal of giving all
students, regardless of their life circumstances, a high-quality
education that leads to a life of choice and self-determination.   

Finally, to answer the most common (!) question I've received as I've
discussed this transition with others - Yes, I will continue to pen
Eduwonk.com although in a different venue than where it lives now.  I'm
also not planning major changes in board service or the writing I do,
for instance at U.S. News and various venues.  So, depending where you
sit in this debate I guess that's welcome or unwelcome news.

So, this email is mostly a heads-up as we make this information public
and start to officially work on this transition (here's the official
press release http://tinyurl.com/pn7zb3).  Until next March I can still
be found in exactly the same place doing exactly the same things and
will be back in touch with new contact information and all that closer
to my actual transition from Education Sector.

Many thanks to those of you who have vigorously supported ES and have
supported me in various ways - in particular those mentors and
professional and personal friends who have challenged me to think deeply
and creatively about life and work.   I'm in your debt and look forward
to continuing to work with you in a new role.  

With warmest regards,

Andrew Rotherham