Washington, DC, May 20, 2009 -- The Aspen Institute is pleased to announce that Ross Wiener has accepted the new post of Executive Director of the Aspen Program on Education and Society effective May 26, 2009.

From 2002 to 2009, Ross worked at the Education Trust, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to raising standards and closing achievement gaps in public education. As policy director and then as vice president for program and policy, Ross managed the Education Trust's research/data analysis, policy development, conference programming, and technical assistance to educators and policymakers in both K-12 and higher education. Prior to directing the program and policy work at the Education Trust, Ross served for five years as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section, where he represented the United States in cases dealing with desegregation, harassment, and the adequacy of services to limited-English proficient students and students with disabilities. Mr. Wiener received a B.A. with Honors in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a law degree with High Honors from the George Washington University Law School, and clerked for Judge Kermit Victor Lipez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

As Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President of Policy and Public Programs and International Partners at the Aspen Institute stated: "At a time when education is a high national priority, Ross Wiener will add value to the expanding education work at the Aspen Institute." Nancy Pelz-Paget, Program Director of the Aspen Education and Society Program, stated: "Ross will be a great asset in our current and future work. His policy and program experience will enhance the effectiveness of the Program's multiple networks of policymakers and practitioners that have been focusing on the important work of improving human capital development in education."

The Aspen Institute Education and Society Program organizes learning networks and policy workshops that help local, state and national education leaders share knowledge about how school systems can improve the education and life chances of poor and minority students and works with them to create programs and policies to accomplish these goals.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.

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