Aimee Rogstad Guidera

Aimee Rogstad Guidera has worked throughout her career to ensure every student is prepared for life by championing a high expectations agenda that prioritizes rigorous standards, transparency and accountability for results. In her role as Virginia Secretary of Education, she had oversight of education from Pre-K through Postsecondary in the Commonwealth. Before joining the Youngkin Administration, Aimee was a strategic consultant helping states, foundations, companies and non-profit organizations strengthen their efforts to improve student learning and outcomes. Aimee was Founder, President and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a national, nonprofit advocacy organization leading the effort to ensure that students, parents, educators, and policymakers have the right information to guide their actions so that every student can excel.

A respected thought leader in education, Aimee was named one of TIME's 12 Education Activists of 2012. Aimee is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and an alumna of the Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. She has served on the board of directors of America Succeeds, Institute for Educational Leadership, Policy Innovators in Education Network, the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, Minnesota Comeback, AEI’s Conservative Leaders for Education, and on the advisory board for the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard.

Before founding DQC, Aimee served as the director of the Washington, DC office of the National Center for Education Achievement. She previously served as vice president of programs for the National Alliance of Business, worked in the education division of the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices, and taught for the Japanese Ministry of Education.

With the firm belief that parents, students, and teachers need to be equally strong legs of the stool of academic success, Aimee has always been engaged in her local schools—as a mom, neighbor and citizen.

"I am thrilled to be back in the conversation at Harvard about policy, politics and public service! Harvard Kennedy School exposed me to new ideas, honed skills, launched lifelong friendships, and prepared me for my career in education policy. During my upcoming time at the IOP, I look forward to not only sharing my reflections and insights from my experiences over that 35 year career, but also continuing to learn from this community."