Lisa Graham Keegan

Lisa Graham Keegan (July 20, 1959) is a former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction and senior policy advisor to Sen. John McCain's 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns on education issues. [cite web |url= http://www.cq.com |title= Congressional Quarterly: McCain’s Policy Team, September 1, 2008 |access date=2008-09-06] [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0218mccain-admin0218side.html |title= A McCain team could include some Arizonans, Possibilities: Kyl, Keegan, Peters, Woods |access date=2008-02-19] In 1994, McCain was chairman of Keegan's campaign to be state superintendent. [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0306keegan0306.html |title= Keegan expands role as McCain education adviser |access date=2008-03-06] Her "policy expertise, combined with her history of successfully implementing state-level and national education reforms, has made her a sought after education reform expert who frequently addresses the U.S. Congress, state legislative bodies, business groups, and education organizations." [cite web |url= http://www.aepweb.org/summit/sessions.htm#debate |title= Publishing for the Digital Future |access date=2008-08-17]

At the 2008 National Republican Convention she was a vice chairman of the Republican Party political platform committee and instrumental in development of policy statements on education and Northern Ireland relations. [cite web |url=http://www.gop.com/pdf/PlatformFINAL_WithCover.pdf |title= 2008 Republican Platform |access date=2008-09-06] Keegan was a prime time speaker at the convention on education and disaster relief issues. [cite web |url= http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=basic_search&query=Lisa+Keegan
title= C-SPAN videos of Lisa Keegan |access date=2008-09-04]

Keegan is a national leader in the area of education reform and accountability. She advocates for parents to make informed decisions about their children's school, without undo interference by the government. [cite web |url= http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080517_7363.php?related=true&story1=nj_20080517_7363&story2=h_20080305_22&story3=am_20080306_17 |title= The McCain Squadron |access date=2008-06-08] According the National Review, she “created the most effective charter school program in the country.” [cite web |url= http://www.weeklystandard.com/check.asp?idArticle=9550&r=dihym
title= LISA GRAHAM KEEGAN, TOO GOOD FOR THE GOP?__ by David Brooks |access date=2008-03-06] The Arizona Republic noted Keegan pushed “Arizona into the vanguard of school reforms in the 1990s and led national education changes favored by conservatives in recent years." [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] Keegan is highly respected, even by her opponents, as a straightforward and honorable advocate for improving the educational system. [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20]

McCain campaign

Keegan currently serves as senior policy advisor on education issues to Republican nominee John McCain as he runs for president. [cite web |url=http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2008/07/every_education_dem_vs_keegan.html |title= Education Week: Every Education Dem vs. Keegan |accessdate=2008-07-27] In this capacity, she has helped to shape and write his education policies and often serves as his surrogate in debates, on panels, and on radio and television where these issues are discussed. [cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7SInK09CAM|title= New America Foundation: Education Policy in the Next Administration |accessdate=2008-07-27] A hallmark of the plan drafted by Keegan is that increased academic performance must be central in all education reform measures.

Ms. Keegan is the principle spokesperson for the McCain 08 campaign on education issues. She regularly debates a variety of political advisors to Senator Barack Obama’s campaign on national media outlets such as Fox News and NewsHour on PBS. [cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec08/education_09-10.html |title= NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: McCain, Obama Advisers Spar on Education Reform, September 10, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-17]

In addition to her participation in the McCain '08 campaign, she is a proponent for education reform in forums such as American Solutions for Winning the Future with other presenters such as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the Rev. Al Sharpton. [http://www.americansolutions.com/Default.aspx]

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Prior to becoming state superintendent of public instruction, she served two terms in the Arizona House of Representatives in 1991 to 1995 where she was chair of the Education Committee. For a decade as an Arizona state official, Keegan led that state's education reform movement. She was first elected as the Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1994 and reelected in 1998. This election was particularly significant because it was the first time in the history of the United States that all five of the top elected executive offices of a state were held by women: Jane Dee Hull, governor; Betsey Bayless, secretary of state; Janet Napolitano, attorney general; Carol Springer, treasurer; and Keegan, superintendent of public instruction. As superintendent, she was the director of the Arizona Department of Education, the state education agency. Under her leadership, Arizona implemented the most dynamic charter school program in the country. [cite web |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=H91d0fPoj0gC&pg=PA189&lpg=PA189&dq=charter+schools+%22lisa+graham+keegan%22&source=web&ots=76L9UbfjjC&sig=CXBNr4i67oCM3Q7ZkrsX8TFqjF8#PPA238,M1 http|title= School Choice in the Real World: Lessons from Arizona Charter Schools By Robert Maranto, Scott Milliman, Frederick Hess |accessdate=2007-12-10] As a state Representative and the Superintendent of Public Instruction she advocated for rigorous academic standards, annual testing, stronger accountability, and school choice. [cite web |url= http://www. http://www.nctq.org/nctq/about/keegan.html |title= About NCTQ Advisory Board |accessdate=2007-11-24] She led the movement to enact the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards, or AIMS, test. This test, designed largely by classroom educators, set academic standards for high school graduation in reading, writing, and mathematics. [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] In response to public and political criticism of imposing academic standards for gradation, Keegan took all phases of the test and posted her passing scores. She continued to resist, often unsuccessfully, political pressure to delay and water-down the AIMS standards. Additionally, she championed into law the School Tuition Organization Tax Credit Bill. The bill created a tax-exempt funding source for funding of scholarships at private schools or enrichment programs at publicly funded schools. [cite web |url= http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=1557
title= Arizona Helps Poor Children Gain More Choices, Center for Education Reform, April 4, 1997|accessdate=2008-04-24] This law was the first time such a measure had been passed in the United States. It was vigorously opposed by union and anti-choice factions but ultimately upheld in both state and federal courts. Keegan served on Governor Jeb Bush's Restructuring Team for Florida Department of Education and on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Education Policy Transition Team. On numerous occasions she provided testimony to the US Congress on current education issues, and briefed newly elected congressional members at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She was education advisor to candidate George W. Bush and a member of the administration transition team. In December 2000 she was one of only two candidates interviewed by then President-elect George W. Bush to be U.S. Secretary of Education. [cite web |url= http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/19/bush.cabinet/index.html |title= Bush to announce 3 Cabinet appointments Wednesday |accessdate=2008-03-21] [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0218mccain-admin0218side.html |title= A McCain team could include some Arizonans, Possibilities: Kyl, Keegan, Peters, Woods. |accessdate=2008-02-19]

Education Leaders Council

In 2001, Keegan resigned as superintendent to accept the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Education Leaders Council (ELC), a non-profit, education reform organization Keegan and a number of other state school chiefs had founded in 1995. [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] ELC is an alternative to Council of Chief State School Officials (CCSSO), a more union-centric school organization, with close ties to organizations like the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). [cite web |url= http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=section&pSectionID=5&CFID=10188890&CFTOKEN=43244560 |title= State School Officials Form Unprecedented Education Leaders Council, Center for Education Reform, September 26, 1995 |accessdate=2008-04-24] Under Keegan’s leadership, it appeared at first that ELC would indeed rival the older, more established CCSSO, as ELC quickly secured federal funding for its reform-oriented project, Following the Leaders, to implement the reform policies of the new federal education law. In late 2003 and early 2004 a series of spurious articles in the Washington media led to the resignations of several of ELC’s directors. The allegations were of such a nature that ELC took legal action to stop further libelous reporting. [ Webster, Chamberlain & Bean correspondence with Washington Times managing editor and national editor dated April 8, 2004 ] A subsequent investigation by the U.S. Department of Education initially suggested that ELC did not fully comply with federal regulations for the funds it was expending, [ cite web |url= http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/a03f0010.pdf |title= "The Education Leaders Council’s Drawdown and Expenditure of Federal Funds", U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General, January 2006. | access date=2008-02-26 ] and federal procurement standards. [ cite web |url= http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/a03f0003.doc |title= "Education Leaders Council’s Subcontracting Activities", U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General, July 28, 2006. | access date=2008-02-26 ] A final audit, however, showed that ELC’s financial and administrative management had actually under charged the Department of Education and outstanding grant funding was ultimately paid to the ELC’s spin-off organization, Following the Leaders by the Department of Education. [ U.S. Department of Education, grant funding ledger entries for Fiscal Year 2006 and 2007. ] [cite web |url= http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/521/521988780/521988780_200612_990.pdfl|title= Following the Leaders IRS Form 990, Fiscal year 2006 |accessdate=2008-05-13] [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] From 2001 to 2004, Keegan consulted with President George Bush, his domestic policy staff and Secretary Rod Paige on matters of education policy, as well as with the education leadership of 38 states. She worked closely with the administration and leadership of both parties in the United States Congress on federal education legislation and policy. Significant policies and programs she helped implement during this time include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Following the Leaders School Implementation Program, American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] Washington DC School Choice Program. In 2003 she was a member of Education Secretary Rod Page's Title IX Commission. [cite web |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1295-2003Jan30.html|title= Title IX Panel Acts Moderately |accessdate=2008-03-21] Keegan’s original three-year contract was extended to September 2004, after which she became an independent education and public policy consultant.

Maricopa County Manager

In 2006, Keegan became a consultant to Maricopa County, Arizona and quickly became assistant county manager for community solutions and innovation. [cite web |url= http://www. bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/11/19/daily39.html?surround=lfn |title= Keegan, Harris join Maricopa County staff |accessdate=2007-11-24] In this role she improved both internal and external communications in the fifth largest county government in the U.S., and helped frame public policy issues for local government. She left Maricopa County in May 2008 to be able to join the McCain presidential campaign as education policy advisor. [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20]

Personal background

Born July 20, 1959, she has a bachelor's degree in linguistics from Stanford University (1981) and a master's degree in communication disorders from Arizona State University (1983). In 1998 she received the Milton Friedman Foundation Award for free enterprise innovation in education. She received the Athena Award from Athena International, [cite web |url= http://www.athenafoundation.org/pages/athena_award_/14.php |title= Athena Awards |access date=2008-06-03 ] and was named Education Leader of the Year by the national Republican Party in 1999. The Adam Smith Award for Economics Education was presented to her in 2000.

She has authored numerous articles for Education Next published by the Hoover Institute, the Manhattan Institute of New York, the Pioneer Institute of Massachusetts, as well as the "New York Times", "Arizona Republic" and other periodicals. Keegan is a frequent speaker on education issues to major policy groups such as the Hoover Institute Board of Governors, Institute of Economic Affairs at the University of London, Empower America, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute. She has been featured in articles by nationally syndicated columnists such as George Will of "Newsweek", David Brooks of the "Weekly Standard", and Clint Bolick of "National Review". In her capacity as Principal Partner at the Keegan Company, she "consults with the education industry in areas of emerging markets", and "writes and speaks on critical issues in American education." [cite web |url= http://www.aepweb.org/summit/sessions.htm#debate |title= Publishing for the Digital Future |access date=2008-08-17]

Keegan is on the board of the Century Council in Washington, D.C. Previously she served on Secretary's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics (Title IX), Empower America, Foundation for Teaching Economics, GreatSchools.net, [cite web |url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0520mccainkeegan0517.html
title= Education crusader becomes McCain's new aide |access date=2008-05-20] Alliance for School Choice, and Children First America. In 2008, Keegan was the president of the school board of New Way Learning Academy, a school for special needs students. She sparked controversy by insisting on academic standards and accreditation, and adherence to state and federal privacy requirements. Her education credo may be summarized by her response to her critics, “Change is uncomfortable.” [cite web |url= http://www.enoughofthespin.blogspot.com/|title= Lisa Keegan and New Way Learning Academy |accessdate=2008-06-08] Lisa Keegan is a former senior warden in the Episcopal Church. In 1977 she won the title National Champion Horsewoman. Keegan briefly served as the acting governor of Arizona in 1996 when Governor Jane Hull and other officers were absent from the state. [cite web |url=http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/books/bid1377.htm |title= Understanding the Arizona Constitution, p. 114 |accessdate=2008-06-30]

Keegan is mother of five and is married to John Keegan, a judge of the justice courts in Arizona. [cite web |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E6D91231F935A25751C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title= LESSONS; A Conservative Picks a Path Less Taken |accessdate=2007-11-24] Her husband often refers to her as Crusader Rabbit [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hHQvkUhJo] .

References