Kathleen M. deLaski

Kathleen M. deLaski is with StudentsFirst, a grassroots movement formed in 2010 in response to an increasing demand for a better education system in America. It is designed to mobilize parents, teachers, students, administrators, and citizens throughout the country, and to channel their energy to produce meaningful results on both the local and national level.

Formerly, Ms. deLaski was the Senior Program Officer for Education for the Walton Family Foundation, which funds efforts to improve education quality in urban school districts nationwide. Prior to joining the Walton Family Foundation, she was president of Sallie Mae's philanthropic arm, a nonprofit established to help open doors of higher education for low income and minority families. She first joined Sallie Mae in 2001 as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.

Prior to joining Sallie Mae, Ms. deLaski served as AOL Group Director from 1999 to 2001, managing editorial, business and marketing strategies for industry-leading online sites in such categories as news/politics, government services, and parenting. She was Director of the AOL News Channel from 1997-98.

In 1993, Ms. deLaski was appointed chief spokeswoman for the Pentagon by President William Clinton, making her first woman to serve as the Department of Defense's top media advisor. In this capacity, she held internationally televised news conferences, traveled regularly with the secretaries of defense, and managed the Pentagon's public affairs apparatus.

Ms. deLaski has also served as a correspondent for ABC News, a reporter for National Public Radio, an associate producer for NBC News, a reporter for WCVB-TV an ABC affiliate in Boston, and for WTVD-TV, a CBS affiliate in North Carolina.

Ms. deLaski earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and English at Duke University and her master's degree in Public Administration at Harvard University's J.F. Kennedy School of Government. She sits on the George Mason Board of Visitors.

She currently resides in McLean, Virginia, with her husband and two daughters.