Leonard K. Bradley, Jr.

Lecturer in Public Policy,
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College

Leonard Bradley is a lecturer in public policy in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, and has an extensive career in policy development in state government. His areas of expertise include policy and program development, with particular concentration on state and local government, operations of public organizations, intergovernmental and legislative processes, and the effects of politics on government operations. Professor Bradley has served as chief policy advisor for three Democrat and Republican governors in Tennessee, and held high-level positions with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Tennessee Department of Human Services, and the Tennessee General Assembly. He was also a vice chancellor for the Tennessee Board of Regents and the vice-chair of former Tennessee Governor Sundquist’s Council on Excellence of Higher Education. Professor Bradley has served on numerous state government boards and study councils, including the National Governor’s Association and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. He received his B.S. and M.A. in political science from the University of Tennessee, and holds a Career Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Public Administration.

David S. Cordray

Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Psychology,
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College

David Cordray is a professor of public policy and a professor of pscyhology at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Studies. Professor Cordray’s research has focused on estimating the numerical effects of social interventions directed at at-risk populations (e.g., homeless, substance abusers). In addition to conducting multi-site evaluations of intervention programs, he has contributed to the development of methodological refinements of quasi-experimental designs, meta-analysis, and non-traditional forms of causal inquiry. Professor Cordray holds a Ph.D. in social-environmental psychology from Claremont Graduate School.

Edward J. Hurley

Senior Professional Associate,
National Education Association (NEA)

Ed Hurley is a senior professional associate in the NEA’s Research Department. A member of the Education Finance and Economics Unit since 1990, Mr. Hurley assists NEA’s state affiliates in developing strategies to improve teacher compensation, revenue structures, and the adequacy and equity of education finance systems. Currently he is analyzing the connection between the funding of schools, state and local tax systems, and economic development policy. Earlier in his career with the NEA, which began in 1984, he concentrated on teacher merit pay and career ladder issues. His background is in public finance, labor economics, and industrial relations. He is a member of the National Tax Association and the American Education Finance Association (AEFA), where he has been a sustaining member of the Board of Directors since 1994. Mr. Hurley is author of numerous works on education finance and teacher compensation for the NEA, and recently published articles on the widening pay gap between teachers and other occupations and how spending on education contributes to economic development. Mr. Hurley received his B.A. degree in economics from Hobart College, his M.A. degree in economics from SUNY-Albany, and his M.S. degree in industrial relations from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jamye Merritt

Counselor,
Metropolitan Nasvhille Public Schools

Jamye Merritt is a guidance counselor for Hunters Lane High School in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. She is the immediate past president of the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association. Prior to being elected into that position in 2005, she served as district director and finance officer of the teachers’ union. She has extensive experience in the field of education, beginning in 1985 as a teacher at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and later serving as a guidance counselor in 1997. In 2002, she coordinated Hunters Lane Community Education program in Nashville. Dr. Merritt has also served as ambassador and delegation leader of an American-Soviet Youth Exchange, and has been listed by the Tennessean as a Top 40 Under 40 leader in 2002. She currently serves on the Madison Chamber of Commerce board of directors, is a past president of Phi Delta Kappa fraternity, and is an alumna of Tennessee Leadership and Leadership Nashville. Dr. Merritt holds a master’s and doctorate degree in administration and supervision from Tennessee State University.

Herbert J. Walberg

Distinguished Visiting Scholar,
Stanford University

Herbert J. Walberg is Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University. He formerly taught at Harvard University and is Emeritus University Scholar and Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, he has written or edited more than 55 books and written about 300 articles on such topics as educational effectiveness and exceptional human accomplishments. Among his latest books are the International Encyclopedia of Educational Evaluation, Psychology and Educational Practice, and Research on Teaching. Professor Walberg served as a founding member of the National Assessment Governing Board. He is also a fellow of four academic organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Psychological Association, and the Royal Statistical Society, Herb is also a founding fellow of the International Academy of Education, headquartered in Brussels. In his research, Professor Walberg employs analyses of large national and international data sets to dis-cover the factors in homes, schools, and communities that promote learning and other human accomplishments. He also employs research synthesis to summarize effects of various educational conditions and methods on learning. For the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, he carried out comparative research in Japanese and American schools. He is a Presidentially-appointed, Senate-approved founding member of the National Board of Educational Sciences, which provides policy guidance and oversight for more than $500 million in federal education research. Professor Walberg also chairs the boards of the Beck Foundation and the Heartland Institute.