ARLINGTON, VA — November 9, 2015 — The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has named Peggy Brookins, a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), as its new CEO and President. Brookins has served as executive vice president of the National Board since December 2014 and as interim president and CEO since June 2015. A pioneering STEM educator, Brookins assumes the role following the passing of Ronald Thorpe. This is a historic moment for the National Board and for the profession and the fulfillment of Thorpe’s vision that—for the first time—a Board-certified teacher is at the helm of the profession’s organization for defining, measuring, and spreading accomplished teaching.
“Ron’s vision for the profession, and the National Board as an organization, will be in exceptionally good hands under the leadership of Peggy Brookins,” said former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, who serves as chairman of the NBPTS Board of Directors and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education. “Peggy is an outstanding educator whose heart lies with the profession and students, and her extensive leadership experience will help the National Board continue its momentum during this transition.”
Brookins said, “Digging into the National Board standards and certification process was a transformative experience for me and my teaching practice. I am passionate and excited to spend the rest of my professional career working towards ensuring every teacher in this country is supported and expected to reach the same level of practice. I am humbled and honored to work alongside the National Board staff, board of directors, our organizational partners, and National Board Certified Teachers across this country to build a trajectory that supports teachers from day one as they enter the profession to become accomplished, Board-certified teachers and an education system that, as a matter of routine practice, engages the expertise of those teachers in leading the learning of our nation’s students.”
Tomorrow, on Tuesday, November 10th, Brookins will share the National Board’s vision for strengthening the teaching profession as a panelist at the Center for American Progress Teach Strong Campaign Launch Event, a national campaign to modernize and elevate teaching. Her argument will center on the need to build a coherent professional continuum for teachers that begins in preparation, leading to Board certification and then to the opportunity to serve in leadership roles. Register here to attend the event. “A strong continuum for teaching is vital to ensuring that all students learn to the levels they need to be successful,” said Brookins. “This might seem a lofty aspiration, but as I’ve traveled and met with teachers extensively these last 11 months, I believe this work, under the stewardship of Board-certified teachers and those who support them, is already well underway.”
Brookins co-founded the Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology (EMIT) at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida, in 1994, where she served as both a director and a mathematics teacher. In her nearly four decades in the profession, Brookins has received numerous honors, including being named a Florida Education Association “Everyday Hero” and Excellence in Teaching recipient, as well as an Aspen Scholar. In 2009, Brookins was inducted into the University of Florida Alumni Hall of Fame. In July 2014, President Barack Obama named Brookins to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.
In addition to serving on the NBPTS Board of Directors from 2008-2011, Brookins has served on several professional boards shaping education policy and practice, including the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Achieve, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Content Technical Working Group, the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences Ad Hoc Committee on Teachers as Professionals, and InBloom.