JDG Associates Finds New Leader for the National Assessment Governing Board
March 11, 2019 – Rockville, MD-headquartered executive search firm JDG Associates has placed Lesley Muldoon as the new executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the Nation’s Report Card, a national test that gauges student reading and math skills. President Darren DeGioia led the assignment.
“I could not be more excited to welcome Lesley Muldoon as the next executive director of the governing board,” said Bev Perdue, the chair of the board and a former North Carolina governor. “She’s the perfect fit for the position. She brings experience working with boards of directors to make decisions on key aspects of assessment policy, test development, and implementation. She also has the management experience to lead our talented staff as they work with the governing board to carry out our strategic vision.”
Ms. Muldoon, who is the chief of policy and advocacy at CenterPoint Education Solutions, will be responsible for overseeing the execution of policies and projects initiated by the independent and nonpartisan board. She will also serve as chief of staff for the board and ensure that it continues to develop sound policies to guide the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a large-scale assessment program that measures student achievement across the nation, all 50 states and 27 large urban districts.
Ms. Muldoon has a deep background in both assessment and non-profit governance and management. She helped to launch and manage the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and managed a team responsible for the rollout of the assessments in 10 member states in the spring of 2015. She went on to play a leading role in creating and managing two non-profit organizations: Parcc Inc., the organizational home for the assessments where she served as chief operating officer, and then CenterPoint Education Solutions, the parent company of Parcc Inc., which she joined in 2017.
Before joining PARCC, Ms. Muldoon held several positions at Achieve—a non-partisan, non-profit education reform organization that served as the project manager for PARCC—related to the organization and launch of the testing consortium. These included managing PARCC’s successful application for $186 million in federal funding. Earlier in her career, Muldoon served as an aide to former U.S. Representative Rush D. Holt of New Jersey.
Ms. Muldoon joins the staff of the 26-member governing board—made up of state, local and federal officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the public—as it continues its efforts to innovate, many in conjunction with the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers NAEP.
“I’m eager to bring fresh ideas and energy to the governing board as we usher in the next generation of NAEP assessments,” Ms. Muldoon said. “In an era of significant economic and policy change, it’s critical that parents, policymakers, and the public have the ability to tell how well their state’s education system is preparing students for the future.
Performance Driven and Accountable
JDG Associates has been providing executive recruitment services to Fortune 1000 corporations, associations and non-profits, federal, state and local governments, research and consulting firms and defense contractors since 1973.
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Mr. DeGioia has spent 16 years conducting senior-level search assignments for research and consulting organizations as well as the public sector. His areas of expertise include information technology, accounting and finance, the quantitative sciences, operations / general management, marketing and communications.
JDG Associates recently celebrated 45 years in business. The firm’s research-intensive process and personal approach have resulted in more than 4,000 senior-level searches across a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines in the Washington, D.C. region and nationally.
“While we have diversified our practice areas throughout the years, we have never lost sight of the fact that we are accountable for each search engagement,” said Mr. DeGioia. “We are performance-driven and never waver on our promise to build long-term, mutually rewarding partnerships. Although much has changed in the executive search industry, one thing remains constant: our mission to deliver the best candidates to our clients.”
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
