2006 Selection Jury

The Selection Jury is comprised of nationally prominent individuals from business and industry, government and public service. The Jury reviews the statistical data and site visit reports for each finalist district and chooses the winner of The Broad Prize for Urban Education.

Henry Cisneros, Chairman, CityView America
Henry Cisneros is founder and chairman of CityView America, a joint venture in home building he formed with Kaufman and Broad (now KB Home) in August 2000. Previously, he was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications in Los Angeles, the largest Spanish-language media company in the nation. In 1993, he became President Bill Clinton's first secretary of the department of Housing and Urban Development. Cisneros became the first Hispanic American mayor of a major U.S. city when he was elected mayor of San Antonio in 1981. During his four terms as mayor, Cisneros helped rebuild the city's economic base and created jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements, making San Antonio one of the most progressive cities in the nation.

John Engler, Former Governor of Michigan
First elected in 1990, Michigan Governor John Engler led the state for 12 years. During his service, he made improving education Michigan's top priority. In 1994, Engler led a successful fight for equitable school funding. As a result, all Michigan children now have a foundation grant that follows them to attend the public schools of their choice, including more than 180 public charter schools. To encourage academic achievement, Engler created the Michigan Merit Award, a $2,500 scholarship for college or training that is awarded to high school students who pass their proficiency tests in reading, writing, science and math. Engler is a co-founder of The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, a national effort dedicated to improving student achievement by recruiting, training and supporting executive leadership talent from across America to become the next generation of urban school district leaders. In June 2004, he was named president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, the nation's largest industrial trade association.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman, The Carlyle Group
Louis Gerstner is chairman of the global private equity firm, The Carlyle Group. Previously, Gerstner was chairman and chief executive officer of IBM Corporation from 1993 until his retirement in 2002. Prior to IBM, Gerstner served as chairman and chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco, Inc.; president of the parent company of American Express Company; chairman and chief executive officer of American Express Travel Related Services Company; and director of McKinsey & Co., Inc. A lifetime advocate of the importance of quality education, Gerstner created The Teaching Commission in 2003 to develop specific policy recommendations to deal with America's teaching crisis. From 1996 to 2002 he co-chaired Achieve, an organization created by U.S. governors and business leaders to drive high academic standards for public schools. At IBM he established Reinventing Education, a strategic partnership with 21 states and school districts that utilize technology and technical assistance to eliminate key barriers to school reform and improve student performance. In 2001, Gerstner was awarded the designation of honorary Knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

James Hunt, Jr., Former Governor of North Carolina
Formerly one of the nation's most successful governors, Jim Hunt is a respected national leader in education reform. During his 20 years of service as governor, he dramatically raised North Carolina's student test scores and ensured that the state's teacher salaries were raised to match the national average. A strong supporter of high standards in public schools, Hunt served as chairman of the National Education Goals Panel and vice chairman of the board of Achieve. He also published a book outlining his plan and describing his own experiences with public education, "First in America: An Education Governor Challenges North Carolina." Hunt is currently a partner in the in the Raleigh, N.C. office of the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice. He also chairs the board of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy.

Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Shirley Ann Jackson has held senior leadership positions in government, industry, research and academia. She was appointed chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Clinton, where from 1995-1999, she reorganized the agency and completely revamped its regulatory approach. Prior to that, she was a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories and a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University.

Roderick Paige, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
Building on a long and distinguished career in public education, Rod Paige was the first school superintendent ever to serve as U.S. secretary of education. Serving under President George W. Bush during his first term, Paige played a critical role in the passage and implementation of the historic No Child Left Behind legislation. In 1994, after leading reform for four years as a member of the Houston Board of Education, Paige became superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). In 2001, he was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. In 2002, he was a recipient of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. That same year, Houston was the first winner of The Broad Prize. Prior to joining HISD, Paige served for a decade as dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University.

Richard Parsons, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner, Inc. (recused in 2006)
Richard D. Parsons became CEO of Time Warner, Inc. in May 2002. Before assuming his current position, he oversaw the company's content businesses - Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Music Group and AOL Time Warner Book Group - as well as two corporate functions: Legal and People Development. He has been a member of the Time Warner Board of Directors since January 1991. In May 2001, he was appointed as co-chairman of The President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.

Hugh Price, Former President and CEO, National Urban League
Hugh B. Price served as president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League from 1994 to 2003. The National Urban League is the oldest and largest community-based movement empowering African-Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. A graduate of Yale Law School, Price formerly worked as an attorney, human resources administrator for the city of New Haven, Conn., a member of the editorial board of The New York Times, senior vice president of WNET/Thirteen, the nation's largest public television station, and vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, where he supervised all grant-making in the fields of urban school reform and equal opportunity.

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico
Bill Richardson was elected governor of New Mexico in 2002. Previously, he had served for 15 years as the Representative for the 3rd Congressional District in northern New Mexico. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1997 and as secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy in 1998. Gov. Richardson has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Richard Riley, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
After winning national recognition for his successful education improvements as governor of South Carolina during the 1980s, Dick Riley was chosen by President Bill Clinton in December 1992 to serve as U.S. secretary of education. During his eight-year tenure, Riley helped launch historic initiatives to raise academic standards and improve instruction for poor and disadvantaged children. He also expanded grant and loan programs to help more Americans go to college, prepare young people for the world of work, and improve teaching. Since leaving his national post in 2001, Riley has been serving with a variety of entities to continue his effort to improve education across America. He also has rejoined the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.

Donna Shalala, Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (recused in 2006)
Donna Shalala began her commitment to public service early as one of the country's first Peace Corps volunteers, serving in Iran from 1962 to 1964. Currently president of the University of Miami, Shalala has more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator. In 1993, President Clinton appointed her secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she served for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history. Shalala also served in the Carter Administration as assistant secretary for policy development and research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Andrew Stern, International President, Service Employees International Union
Andrew Stern is the international president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the largest and fastest-growing labor union in America. The SEIU represents more than 1.5 million working families, including health care workers, education workers, and other public service employees as well as building service and security workers. SEIU is a leading voice for quality education, affordable health care, and other vital services for working families and their communities.

John "Jack" Welch, Former Chairman and CEO, General Electric (recused in 2006)
Jack Welch is one of the most successful business leaders of all time and is a renowned business icon. In 1960, Welch joined General Electric as a junior engineer and by 1981 was GE's eighth and youngest chairman and CEO. During his 20-year tenure as CEO, Welch helped raise the company's market cap from $12 billion in 1981 to approximately $400 billion in 2001. In 2003, Welch was named chairman of the advisory board for the New York Department of Education's Leadership Academy.