Governor Bob Wise, author of the book Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth And Our Nation, became president of the Alliance for Excellent Education in February 2005. Under his leadership, the Alliance has continued to build its reputation as a respected authority on high school policy and to advocate for reform in America’s secondary education system, working to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for success.

Since joining the Alliance, Governor Wise has become a sought-after speaker and advisor on education issues. He has advised the U.S. Department of Education and frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress.

As governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005, he fought for and signed legislation to fund the PROMISE Scholarship Program, which has helped thousands of West Virginia students remain in the Mountain State for college. Governor Wise also established a character education curriculum in all state schools and created the Governor’s Helpline for Safer Schools. During his administration, West Virginia saw a significant increase in the number of students completing high school and entering college.

In 2001, Governor Wise proposed salary bonuses for teachers who achieve National Board certification, which helped triple the rate of certified teachers in the state. Additionally, Education Week’s Quality Counts 2004 report gave West Virginia its highest cumulative grade of all fifty states. As governor, he was also the first West Virginian to chair the Southern Governors’ Association.

From 1983 to 2001, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of West Virginia. During his tenure, he worked aggressively to preserve federal financial aid for students to attend college. For several terms, he was a member of the Democratic Party Leadership team, as a regional whip and as a whip-at-large. Committee assignments during these eighteen years included Transportation and Infrastructure, Government Reform and Organization, and Budget. Among his notable Congressional accomplishments are the Chemical Right to Know legislation, the Wise Amendment to the Clean Air Act, and first-ever federal Mental Health Parity legislation.

Wise also serves on the Public Education Network’s board of directors; the board of trustees of America’s Promise; and is an advisory committee member for a number of organizations, among them the Campaign for Educational Equity, Editorial Projects in Education, and the National High School Center, which is funded by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Special Education Programs and housed at the American Institutes for Research. He also serves on the board of directors of C-Change, which works to eliminate cancer as a major public health risk at the earliest possible time.

Governor Wise earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 1970 and a J.D. from Tulane University College of Law in 1975. He recently earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He and wife Sandy live in Washington, DC with their two children.