Jeb Bush

Senior Advisor

Jeb Bush is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. He served as the Governor of Florida from 1999-2007. Known as the "Education Governor" for his administration’s focus on improving the state’s publiceducation system, Governor Bush has long been a tireless advocate for broad-based reforms and aleading ambassador of higher education, higher standards, and embracing technology in education.

Today, Governor Bush promotes education reform through his non-profit organizations Foundation for Excellence in Education and Foundation for Florida’s Future. A prolific writer and avid public speaker, Governor Bush continues to offer fresh insights on education reform outside of office.

Governor Bush worked to create a world-class educational system through high standards and increased accountability during his time in office. He also worked to increase access to education through the expansion of the Florida Virtual School program, a national model for online K-12 education.

Previously in his career, Governor Bush served as Florida’s secretary of commerce and founded the Foundation for Florida’s Future, a think tank that works to influence public policy at the grassroots level. As part of his work with the Foundation, he co-wrote the book Profiles in Character, which profiles 14 of Florida’s civic heroes, as well as numerous policy papers.

Key Appointments, Affiliations, and Awards:

• Founder and Chairman, Foundation for Excellence in Education
• Founder and Chairman, Foundation for Florida’s Future
• Co-Chair, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
• Board Member, CAS Energy
• Board Member, Volunteer USA
• Board Member, Our Pledge
• Former Board Member, National Assessment Governing Board
• Established Points of Light program
• Honorary Alumnus, University of Florida

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Clayton Christensen

Senior Advisor

Dr. Clayton Christensen is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. An influential business thinker, Dr. Christensen has applied the principles of his disruptive innovation theory across industries and has championed their application in the postsecondary education space. Dr. Christensen is the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and is widely regarded as a leading expert on growth and innovation. He is also the best-selling author of nine books and more than a hundred articles.

Prior to joining the Harvard Business School faculty in 1992—and receiving full professorship with tenure in 1998—Dr. Christensen worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and helped co-found Ceramics Process Systems, a Massachusetts-based advanced materials company. He has subsequently helped establish many other successful enterprises, including the Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank focused on education and innovation, and the boutique investment firm Rose Park Advisors.

Key Appointments, Affiliations, and Awards:

• White House Fellow, Assistant to U.S. Transportation Secretaries Drew Lewis and Elizabeth Dole
• The Innovator’s Dilemma received the Global Business Book Award as the best business book of the year (1997) and was named one of the six most important books about business ever written by The Economist (2011)
• Recipient, Abernathy, Newcomen, James Madison, and Circle Prizes
• Five-time recipient, McKinsey Award
• Honorary chaired professorship, Tsinghua University
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Tribeca Films Festival

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, Brigham Young University
• Master’s Degree, Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar)
• MBA, Harvard Business School (George F. Baker Scholar)
• DBA, Harvard Business School
• Five honorary doctorates

Sir John Daniel

Senior Advisor

Sir John Daniel is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. An international learning pioneer, Sir John has worked to advance the use of open, distance, and technology-mediated learning around the world. He is currently an Education Master with the Beijing DeTao Masters Academy in China and chair of the International Board of the United World Colleges (UWC), which focuses on uniting people, nations, and cultures through education.

Sir John has held top positions in educational leadership around the world, including most recently as President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver (2004-2012). Prior to that, he was Assistant Director-General for Education at the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO), Paris (2001-2004). Earlier in his career he was Vice-Chancellor of the UK Open University (1990-2001); President of Laurentian University, Ontario (1984-90); Vice-Rector, Academic, at Concordia University, Montreal (1980-1984); Vice- President for Learning Services at Athabasca University, Alberta (1978-80); and Directeur des Études at the Télé-université, Québec (1973-1977).

Among Sir John’s 330 publications are his groundbreaking books Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education and Mega-Schools, Technology and Teaching: Achieving Education for All.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• Chairman, Advisory Council at UNESCO – European Center for Higher Education
• Former President, International Council for Open and Distance Education
• Former President, Canadian Association for Distance Education
• Former President, Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education
• Former Vice-President, International Baccalaureate Organisation
• Former Executive Committee Member, European Distance Education Network
• Former Trustee, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• Former Vice-President, Council of Foundation of the International Baccalaureate
• Former Council Member, Open University of Hong Kong
• Former Advisory Board Member, St. Edmund Hall at Oxford University
• Former Member, Higher Education Quality Council of the United Kingdom
• Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his service in higher education
• Symons Medal of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, Oxford University (St. Edmund Hall)
• Master’s Degree, Université de Paris
• 31 honorary doctorates from universities in 17 countries

Governor James B. Hunt Jr.

Senior Advisor

Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. Known for his belief in the power of education to improve national economic health and increase individual prosperity, Governor Hunt’s four historic terms as governor of North Carolina were marked by a commitment to education and improved student outcomes. His work continues outside of office through the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, which works at the intersection of policy and politics to secure America's future by transforming its public education system.

During his time in office, Governor Hunt focused on early childhood development and the improvement of quality of teaching. His Smart Start program received the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award from the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 1985, he co-chaired the "Committee of 50," which led to the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy and eventually to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He has also provided education leadership as chairman of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, chaired the National Education Goals Panel, served as board vice chair of Achieve, Inc., and chairman of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University – Raleigh
• Recipient, Education Commission of the States "James B. Conant Award"
• Recipient, Horace Mann League’s "Friend of Education Award"
• Recipient, Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education
• Recipient, National Mentoring Partnership "Award for Public Leadership"
• Recipient, Children’s Defense Fund Award
• Recipient, Columbia University Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service
• Recipient, National Secondary Schools "Distinguished Service Award"
• Recipient, National State Boards of Education "Policy Leader of the Year Award"
• Recipient, Council of Chief State School Officers "Distinguished Service Award"
• Recipient, National Education Association "Friend of Education Award"
• Recipient, the first "Public Service Award" by the American Association for Educational Research
• Inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, North Caroline State University
• Master’s Degree, North Carolina State University
• J.D., University of North Carolina School of Law

Professor Barry McGaw

Senior Advisor - Australia

Professor Barry McGaw is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships, focusing on the company’s operations in Australia. A recognized leader in international educational quality and equity, curriculum development, and student outcomes, Professor McGaw brings a unique international perspective to improving online education instruction.

Professor McGaw is a Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at The University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. He recently served as Foundation Executive Director of the international Cisco, Intel, Microsoft project Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills.

Prior to returning to his native Australia at the end of 2005, he was Director for Education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) based in Paris. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and was a professor of education at Murdoch University.

He began his professional life as a science teacher in Queensland secondary schools.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• Fellow, International Academy of Education
• Australian College of Education Medal, Australian College of Education
• Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
• Fellow, Australian Psychological Society
• Fellow, Australian College of Education
• Officer of the Order of Australia
• Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement, University of Illinois
• Australian Centenary Medal for distinguished service through educational research and policy, Australian Government

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, University of Queensland
• Master’s Degree, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Doctorate Degree, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Anthony Nightingale

Senior Advisor - Asia

Anthony Nightingale is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships, focusing on the company’s operations in Asia. Committed to the economic development of Hong Kong and Greater China, Mr. Nightingale has contributed to the discussion of economic and trade issues affecting Asia for decades. He spent his career with Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, a diversified business group focused on Asia. He retired as managing director in 2012, but continues to serve the company as a non-executive director.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• Representative, Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) Business Advisory Council
• Member, Chongqing Mayor’s International Economic Advisory Council
• Member, UK ASEAN Business Council Advisory Panel
• Member, Committee on Strategic Enhancement of Hong Kong as an International Financial Centre
• Member, Committee on Real Estate Investment Trusts of the Securities and Futures Commission
• Vice President, Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong
• Council Member, Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong
• Non-Official Member, Commission on Strategic Development
• Chairman, Hong Kong-APEC Trade Policy Study Group Limited
• Vice President, The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong
• Chairman, The Sailors Home and Missions to Seamen
• Former Chairman, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
• Silver Bauhinia Star

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, University of Cambridge

Ron Perkinson

Senior Advisor

Ron Perkinson is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. A recognized leader in internationalizing higher education, Mr. Perkinson has held senior leadership positions in the education sector on three continents. He is based in New Zealand and his experience includes both public and private sector investments involving higher education projects, the structuring of innovative philanthropic funding, and the financing of distance and online learning initiatives in developing countries.

Mr. Perkinson was previously president of the Putera Sampoerna Foundation, an organization committed to cultivating future leaders through education in an effort to help Indonesia meet the challenges presented by globalization. He previously served as the senior vice president of education development for the Whitney International University System, a leading provider of postsecondary education throughout Latin America.

Mr. Perkinson also served as the principal education specialist for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group. His role at the IFC involved assisting with the establishment of a new Global Health and Education Group focused on private for-profit and not-for-profit education projects in developing countries. He traveled the world on behalf of the IFC, presenting on topics including the global education marketplace, financing higher education, public-private partnerships, and the changing landscape of international higher education.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Perkinson was chief executive of the Multi Serve Education Trust, the privatized result of New Zealand’s education services following the country’s sweeping reforms of the late 1980s.

Andrew Tuckey

Senior Advisor – Africa

Andrew Tuckey is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships, focusing on the company’s operations in Africa. A corporate finance professional with broad experience in M&A, restructurings, IPOs, and other capital market transactions, Tuckey has worked in the Saharan African market for decades. He is currently a senior advisor at the corporate finance advisory firm Quayle Munro and chairman of Teraco Data Environments, a data center business with facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. He is also a shareholder in—and advisor to—a new coal mining project in Zimbabwe. Prior to its sale in 2007, Tuckey was chairman of South Africa-based Storm Telecom.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• Member, International Advisory Board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank
• Member, Financial Law Panel
• Member, Dillon Read Board
• Member, Supervisory Board of the investment banking subsidiary of Credit Lyonnais
• Member, Royal Opera House
• Member, City of London Arts Festival
• Chairman, The Watermill Theater
• Governor, Central School of Ballet

Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić

Senior Advisor

Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić is a senior advisor to Academic Partnerships. An international leader in education reform, innovation, quality assurance, and accreditation, Uvalić-Trumbić brings more than 20 years of higher education experience to the company.Uvalic-Trumbic is currently a consultant to the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO) on issues related to the recognition of degrees and qualifications in higher education and a senior consultant to the U.S. Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for the creation of its International quality group. In addition, she is an Education Master with the DeTao Masters Academy in China.

Uvalic-Trumbic's first senior role in higher education was as Secretary-General of the Association of Universities in Yugoslavia. In the early 1990s, she joined UNESCO's European Centre for Higher Education in Bucharest with the goal of enhancing the quality of higher education throughout a more integrated Europe. She was quickly promoted to lead the unit managing higher education at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Her major achievements include developing the 2005 UNESCO-OECD Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education; launching the Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation, and the Recognition of Qualifications; and implementing the UNESCO-World Bank partnership for capacity-building in quality assurance for developing countries.

Key Appointments, Affiliations & Awards:

• International Higher Education Professional of the Year 2009 in the International Community of Higher Education.