(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- David Webb, Brownsville resident and member of the Kentucky Board of Education, has been appointed as a commissioner to the Education Commission of the States (ECS).
The appointment was made in late February by Governor Ernie Fletcher. Webb replaces Keith Travis of Benton, who is chair of the Kentucky Board of Education.
ECS commissioners provide leadership for ECS initiatives as well as for their states' education agendas. Commissioners have the authority to approve the ECS budget, the annual report, policy recommendations and amendments to ECS bylaws.
Each state is represented by seven voting commissioners, who may include members of the state legislature and individuals appointed by the Governor.
Kentucky's other ECS commissioners are:
- Gary Cox, president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
- Charles Evans, professor of secondary education and dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Western Kentucky University
- Governor Ernie Fletcher
- Virginia Fox, secretary of the Kentucky Education Cabinet
- Laura Owens, commissioner of the Department for Workforce Investment
- Rep. Frank Rasche, chairman of the House Education Committee
Webb is a retired educator who has served as a mathematics teacher, elementary principal and superintendent of the Edmonson and Logan County school districts. He served on the Commissioner's Advisory Council and the Board of Control for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. Webb also served as a consultant and marketing director for Alliance Corporation of Glasgow. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Kentucky University.
The Education Commission of the States is an interstate compact created in 1965 to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization involving key leaders from all levels of the education system, ECS creates unique opportunities to build partnerships, share information and promote the development of policy based on available research and strategies.
ECS is supported financially by a combination of state fees and contracts, sponsorships, and grants from foundations, corporations and the federal government. Among the funders of current ECS projects and initiatives are the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, Joyce Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, MetLife Foundation, Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the GE Fund.
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