Marina Ballantyne Walne

Dr. Walne is currently CEO of EduStart LLC, a consulting practice specializing in start-up education and philanthropy ventures. Most recently she was Vice President for Education at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. From 2005 to 2010, Dr. Walne was Executive Director of the Institute for Public School Initiatives at The University of Texas (U.T.) System, an organization dedicated to improving college readiness, access, and success that worked directly with 220 school districts in Texas to implement about $80 million in grant funded initiatives. She has over 35 years of experience in education, including Director of Admissions at Rice University, Founding Head of The John Cooper School, Women’s Athletic Director at St. John’s School, and policy consultant to the Texas Governor’s Business Council working on early childhood, science, reading, teacher quality, and charter school initiatives. Through her consulting business that she started in 1995, Dr. Walne assisted the American Productivity and Quality Center in the development of its education initiatives, six organizations creating new schools including U.T. Austin’s elementary charter school, and U.T. System’s development of TRACK, online learning modules aligned with the Texas high school standards. She was a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education from Dec 2001- Dec 2004, working with the Senior Advisor and the Senior Counselor to Secretary Rod Paige on special projects including revising the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School Award Program. Dr. Walne holds a B.A. degree with distinction from Stanford University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in education administration from Stanford University. She is a graduate of the American Leadership Forum Houston Chapter and has served on numerous nonprofit boards in Texas. - See more at: http://learningaccelerator.org/about-us/board-of-directors#sthash.920fmSPa.dpuf