B&D; Boosts National Education Practice with 2 Key Hires

B&D; Boosts National Education Practice with 2 Key Hires

WASHINGTON , D.C. -- A senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education and the Assistant Superintendent for Academic Affairs at one of the nation's largest school districts are the two most recent additions to B&D Consulting's growing national education consulting practice.

Joining the firm as a Vice President is Rene Islas, who most recently served as Chief of Staff in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and as lead advisor to Assistant Secretary of Education Henry L. Johnson. And Dr. Mary Jo Dare, a 30-year veteran of special education who most recently served as Assistant Superintendent for Academic Affairs for the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), will be joining as a Senior Advisor.

Islas and Dare join a well-established education team that is led by former Congressman Bill Goodling, a past Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. The team has been ranked among the top education practices in Washington by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

"The addition of Rene and Mary Jo will enable us to broaden our involvement in major education policy issues and to increase our offering of strategic compliance services for school districts at the local, regional, and state levels," said B&D Consulting CEO David R. Zook.

"These enhanced capabilities will be extremely beneficial as Congress and the Administration look to take up reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and as school systems throughout the nation navigate this and other complex areas such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)," he added.

In his role at the Department, Islas was a key advisor on implementation of No Child Left Behind with a focus on the law's highly qualified teacher provisions. Prior to his work as Chief of Staff, Islas coordinated special projects for then-Secretary of Education Rod Paige. Before joining the Department, he held leadership positions at the Council for Basic Education.