Press Release

For Immediate Release
May 10, 2010

Contact:
Pete Lorain, pjl24@comcast.net, 503-297-7428 or 503-784-3124
Santo Pino, spino@nmsa.org, 800-528-6672

NMSA Announces Allbritten as Next Executive Director

Westerville, OH – National Middle School Association (NMSA) is pleased to announce the hiring of the Honorable Dr. Drew Allbritten as its new executive director. From a field of sixty candidates, Allbritten was the unanimous decision of the search committee. Allbritten, currently president and chief executive officer of Transformation Strategy Consulting, LLC, brings to NMSA more than 35 years of leadership in education, government, and non-profit organizations.

Beginning his professional life as a middle school mathematics and science teacher, his career has included serving as executive director for the Council for Exceptional Children, the Georgia Association of Educators, the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, and the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. During that time, he held roles in the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Committee for Education Funding, Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations, and the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET). Allbritten also served as a United States presidential appointee and as an elected member of the Michigan House of Representatives where he championed reform in middle schools.

"To be the new executive director of the internationally-respected NMSA is an honor, and I am looking forward to working with middle school professionals to better prepare young adolescents," said Dr. Allbritten. "I will help foster the development, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum, pedagogy, and programs to improve the developmental readiness, needs, and interests of middle school students. As we know, middle schools, in many cases, are the last best chance for millions of students to develop the academic foundation needed for their future success."

Additionally, Allbritten was the originator of the nation's first child seatbelt legislation, which has now saved more than 125,000 lives, and co-founded NCTET which has created funding for K–12 classroom technology totaling more than $30 billion.

NMSA President Cathie Thibodeau stated, "With Drew Allbritten's extensive background and experience in organization transformation, strategic planning, team building, public and media relations, branding and image development, and middle school educational issues, NMSA can now better serve its members."

The president and executive director also will focus on member and affiliate relations, professional development and conference planning, fiscal accountability and legal compliance, staff responsibilities, and NMSA Foundation initiatives.

Allbritten will begin his work with NMSA on July 1, 2010. Prior to this date, he will have various opportunities to meet with the NMSA Board of Trustees, professional staff, affiliate leaders, friends of NMSA, and collaborating organizations to become familiar with the current work of the association and consider future needs and opportunities.

About National Middle School Association:
National Middle School Association (NMSA) is the largest professional association focusing specifically on the education of young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds). Its membership—reaching more than 180,000 individuals—includes teachers, principals, school administrators, professors, parents, and others who work with this age group. NMSA's mission is to improve the educational experiences of young adolescents by providing vision, knowledge, and resources to all who serve them in order to develop healthy, productive, and ethical citizens.

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