Release Date:
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Governor Inslee’s two Washington State Board of Education appointees bring commitment to a quality education system that prepares all students for college, career, and life. Each will serve a term beginning Jan. 28, 2015 through Jan. 12, 2019.
New to the Board in 2015, Janis Avery comes to the Board as a champion of children in foster care: in a professional capacity as a social worker – and in her own home, as the adoptive parent of two children from foster care.
On her appointment, Avery said, "All children in Washington State deserve nothing less than exceptional public education that prepares them for a future full of possibility. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow board members to create a policy environment that supports equitable learning and leads to significantly better results for all of our schools’ students, including students that traditionally have the poorest outcomes.”
Since 1995, Ms. Avery has served as Chief Executive Officer of Treehouse, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization. Treehouse provides youth in foster care with the academic and other essential support that every child needs to graduate from high school with a plan for their future. Ms. Avery holds a Master of Social Work and Certificate in Human Services Management from the University of Washington. She has been recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a Woman of Influence in 2008 and by Senator Maria Cantwell as a Woman of Valor in 2010.
Connie Fletcher joined the board in 2009 and currently serves on the Board’s executive committee. Her educational leadership experience includes 16 years on the Issaquah School Board and three years as president and in other officer roles at the Washington State School Directors’ Association. Ms. Fletcher has served as consultant to nonprofit organizations, municipalities and school districts regarding governance, planning and fundraising, as well as serving on the boards of several other child welfare and social service organizations.
Since 2009, the State Board of Education has adopted the Achievement Index and the 24-credit Career and College Ready Diploma, approved the first Charter school authorizer and implemented the Required Action school and district accountability process. "I’m honored to serve with this outstanding Board as we engage in meaningful work to improve the futures of the children in our state,” says Fletcher.
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Contact: Ben Rarick, SBE Executive Director, (360) 725-6027
About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The board is comprised of 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member.