December 8, 2008
Contact: Dr. Tony Marchesi, 304.347.0427 or 800.624.9120, ext. 5427
tony.marchesi@edvantia.org

CHARLESTON, WV—December 8, 2008. The Board of Directors of Knowledge Alliance has selected Dr. Doris Redfield, president and chief executive officer of Edvantia, Inc., to serve as the association’s chair for 2009. The nonpartisan Washington, DC-based association comprises leading education organizations from across the nation. Its mission is to advocate knowledge-based policy for innovation and improvement in education.

Redfield brings to the post a strong background in research, evaluation, and assessment—and a track record of collaborating with state and national organizations to institute evidence-based policies in education. She is a frequent presenter and keynoter at professional conferences and is the coauthor of Scientifically Based Research: A Guide for Publishers and Developers. Edvantia, the company she leads, provides research, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance to clients such as education agencies and foundations.

“Like other members of the Knowledge Alliance, I am passionate about ensuring that education policies and practices are knowledge based and that they support the development of new knowledge for addressing persistent and emerging challenges to effective education,” Redfield commented. “It is an honor to chair such a distinguished and committed group.”

Redfield has represented Edvantia on the association’s board since 2004 and has served on the board’s executive committee in a number of capacities since 2005.

A former classroom teacher and school psychologist, Redfield has also held leadership roles at the state and national levels. Prior to joining Edvantia, she was deputy superintendent of public instruction in Virginia for policy and planning, research and evaluation, and assessment and accountability. She has also served as consultant to national organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers; visiting scholar at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA; senior associate at the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education; and professor of educational psychology at Western Kentucky University. She holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Arizona.

"Doris’s experience in the public and nonprofit sectors of both K-12 and postsecondary education have put her at the crossroads of research, policy, and practice,” said Knowledge Alliance president Jim Kohlmoos. “I look forward to harnessing her expertise in the coming year as our association works to promote federal education policy grounded in evidence-based knowledge that honors innovations in research, development, dissemination, and implementation.”

About Knowledge Alliance
Knowledge Alliance (formerly known as NEKIA) is a strategic alliance of leading education organizations involved in high-quality education research, development, dissemination, technical assistance, and evaluation at the federal, regional, state, tribal, and local levels. The nonprofit, nonpartisan association addresses the increasingly urgent need to apply rigorous research to persistent educational challenges facing our country’s schools. The Alliance works closely with the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies in advocating knowledge-based policy for innovation and improvement in education. Additional information about the association is available on the Web at http://www.knowledgeall.net.

About Edvantia
Edvantia, Inc. is a nonprofit education research and development corporation, founded in 1966. Edvantia partners with education agencies, foundations, publishers, and service providers to transform education through research, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance. Specialty areas include assessment and alignment, rural education, school improvement, science and mathematics education, and twenty-first century learning. For more information, visit Edvantia’s Web site at www.edvantia.org or contact Dr. Tony Marchesi (see above).