Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin will represent New Jersey in the bipartisan Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program, which brings leaders from across the U.S. together to explore ideas and develop education agendas.
The program was named for former North Carolina Gov. James Hunt and former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, Democrat and Republican, respectively, who were known as education governors during their time in office.
“When it comes to bolstering our society and economy, the most important investment we can make is in education,” Kean said. “I am thrilled to see another cohort of passionate, committed senior-level leaders entering this program and look forward to seeing how their participation allows them to grow as audacious champions of education in their home states and across the nation.”
Coughlin is one of the 32 fellows – and along with Illinois, two speakers – that includes the lieutenant governors of Maryland, Nevada, Vermont and Wisconsin, the attorneys general of Hawaii and Ohio, the Arizona, Connecticut, and Michigan secretaries of state; and the Massachusetts Secretary of Education. The fellows are part of a “rigorous curriculum” led by the Hunt Institute’s policy team in affiliated with Duke University.
The longest-serving Assembly Speaker in state history, Coughlin joins Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson), former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, Secretary of State Tahesha Way, and State Sen. Angela McKnight (D-Kersey City) as New Jerseyans who have served as Hunt-Kean fellows.
“Having elected leaders come together, find common ground, and jointly identify education as a bipartisan issue is necessary to keeping our education systems moving forward,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, President & CEO of The Hunt Institute.