UK College of Education Alumna takes office in April

WASHINGTON – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) announced the appointment of College of Education alumna Sharon P. Robinson, Ed.D. ’79, M.A. '76, as president and chief executive officer. Robinson will be the first African American woman to serve as the association’s chief executive officer. She will begin her term on April 1.

“AACTE’s board of directors is very pleased to select Sharon Robinson as our association’s president and chief executive officer,” said AACTE Board Chair Mary Brabeck, dean of the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University. “She will be a powerful and unwavering voice for high-quality teacher preparation in the service of the children and youth in our nation’s schools.”

A native of Louisville, Robinson earned a doctorate in educational administration and supervision (1979), a master's degree in curriculum and instruction (1976), and bachelor's degrees in education, English, and psychology (1966), all from the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.

Robinson began her career as a teacher in Lexington, KY. She worked as director of the National Center for Innovation at the National Education Association in the early 1990s. From 1993 to 1997 she served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

In 1997 she was named vice president of the Teaching and Learning Division of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). In 2002 Sharon Robinson was named executive vice president of ETS and president of the ETS Educational Policy Leadership Institute, a position she would hold for the following two years.

In 1991, Robinson was inducted into the University of Kentucky College of Education’s Hall of Fame. This prestigious recognition acknowledged the significant contributions to education that she continues to make.

“I am very happy to join AACTE and I look forward to working with its member institutions to foster excellent teaching” Robinson said. “I thank the AACTE board for this opportunity to lead the association at this important time. Never has the need for high-quality teacher preparation been greater. Today’s schools of education play a critically important role in responding to new demands for improved student achievement and greater accountability. This is an exciting new era for schools of education, and I am eager to begin working with AACTE’s membership and staff to met the challenges ahead.”

Update on February 1, 2005 16:34 by the Webmaster - Content by Brad Duncan