Scheduled speakers include:

Keynote Speaker:
Donna Brazile

James Crawford
Ron Ferguson
Norm Fruchter
Kati Haycock
Pedro Noguera
Manuel Rivera
Richard Rothstein
David F. Shaffer

Moderated by veteran newsman Ed Dague

Tentative Program
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Deputy Secretary for Education
Manuel J. Rivera, Ph.D.

Manuel Rivera, Ph.D. was appointed by the Governor as Deputy Secretary for Education in January 2007 after a nationwide search. In this newly created position, Dr. Rivera serves as the administration’s senior education policy advisor, overseeing the implementation of Governor Spitzer’s education reform policy, which couples increased funding with necessary accountability and a more transparent school aid formula.

Dr. Rivera began his career as a school teacher in the Rochester City School District in 1975 and later served as a school and district administrator. In 1991, he was first named Rochester Superintendent of School, a position he held until 1994. After serving on the management team of Edison Schools, Inc., Rivera returned to Rochester in 2002 to serve as interim superintendent. He was again appointed to the position of Superintendent in April of 2003. As superintendent he led an urban school system serving more than 34,000 students in pre-K through Grade 12 and 11,000 adult students. He was responsible for a budget of $459 million and a support staff of more than 5,000 employees.

Dr. Rivera earned both his Doctorate in Education in Administration, Planning & Social Policy and his Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University. He also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Urban Studies from Brandeis University.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester, Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, Rochester Education Foundation, and Rochester Area Health Foundation, and has also served on the boards of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Roberts Wesleyan College, the Spanish Action Coalition of Rochester, and Junior Achievement of Rochester.

In February 2006, Rivera was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. In 2005, he was named New York School Superintendent of the Year in December by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
New York State is responsible for the education of more than 2.8 million public school students enrolled in 4,448 schools in 697 districts and 1.1 million students at 273 colleges and universities.