ASCD Joins the Learning First Alliance

ASCD Executive Director Judy Seltz to serve on Alliance’s Board of Directors as LFA works to advance public education 

Washington, D.C. – February  19, 2015 – The Learning First Alliance (LFA), a partnership of leading education organizations representing more than 10 million parents, educators and policymakers, welcomes ASCD as its newest member organization. Through this partnership, Judy Seltz, executive director of ASCD, will join LFA’s Board of Directors as the Alliance continues its work for the advancement of public education.

“ASCD’s dedication to excellence in learning, teaching and leading aligns with – and supports – the mission and ongoing work of LFA and our member organizations as a whole,” said Cheryl S. Williams, executive director of the Learning First Alliance. “Through this partnership, and with the expertise of Judy Seltz as a board member, ASCD will be instrumental in helping the Alliance promote the ongoing successes of our nation’s public schools.”

Founded in 1943, ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is a global community dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading. Comprising 125,000 members—superintendents, principals, teachers, and advocates from more than 138 countries—the ASCD community also includes 56 affiliate organizations. ASCD's innovative solutions promote the success of each child.

Judy Seltz was appointed executive director of ASCD in June 2014. She formerly served ASCD as Chief Officer of Constituent Services and Deputy Executive Director.  In that capacity she directed the association's work with its affiliates and other constituent groups in the United States and across the globe, on public policy, governance, and the whole child. 

Prior to that role, Seltz served as associate executive director for planning and communications at AASA: The School Superintendents Association. She also worked with International Schools Services in Princeton, N.J., where she supported American international schools overseas, coor-dinating and directing strategic planning, professional development, and school board training. In the mid-1990s, she served as an ASCD regional director, working with various constituent groups.

Additionally, Seltz spent eight years on the school board of Alexandria City (VA) Public Schools as a member and chair. She also served as the managing editor of Education of the Handicapped Law Report and The Special Educator.

Seltz earned her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University, her Master of Education from Har-vard University Graduate School of Education, and her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law.

To learn more about ASCD, visit www.ascd.org. To learn more about the LFA, visit www.learningfirst.org. 

About The Learning First Alliance

The Learning First Alliance is a partnership of leading education organizations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools. Alliance members include: the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, AASA: The School Superintendents Association,  American Federation of Teachers, American School Counselor Association, ASCD, International Society for Technology in Education, Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council), National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Education Association, National PTA, National School Boards Association, National School Public Relations Association, and Phi Delta Kappa International. The Alliance maintains www.learningfirst.org, a website that features what’s working in public schools and districts across the country. 

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