Keynote and Plenary Presenter Bios

Lou Danielson
Louis Danielson, Ph.D., a national leader in the field of special education, has been involved in programs that improve results for students with disabilities for nearly three decades. He brings an unparalleled and unique depth of knowledge in both special education policy and research to his current position as Director of the Research to Practice Division in the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Dr. Danielson was awarded a doctorate of philosophy in educational psychology from Pennsylvania State University in 1976. His career spans several roles in education including secondary school science and mathematics teacher, school psychologist, and teaching at the university level. For the past twenty-five years, Dr. Danielson has held leadership roles in OSEP and is currently responsible for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) discretionary grants program, including model demonstration, technical assistance and dissemination, personnel preparation, technology, and parent training priorities. He has served in numerous research and policy roles across the Department and has represented OSEP in major school reform activities.

A frequent contributor to professional journals, Dr. Danielson has published extensively in the literature and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and events focusing on special education. His particular areas of interest include policy implementation and national evaluation studies.

Patty Guard
Patty Guard is the Deputy Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education with a staff of 110 and an annual budget of $11 billion. Ms. Guard is responsible for providing policy guidance, managerial direction and supervision for OSEP programs.

With the Department of Education since 1983, Ms. Guard has served as Acting Director during seven transitions in the leadership of OSEP. She also has been Director of Policy and Planning in OSERS and Senior Legislative Analyst in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs. Ms. Guard moved to Washington in 1981 when she was selected for a fellowship with the Institute for Educational Leadership. She worked on the staff of the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prior to her move to Washington, Ms. Guard was director of special education for Boone, Clinton, NW Hendricks County Special Education Cooperative in Indiana. She began her career as a speech therapist and then served as supervisor of eleven speech therapists in the Logansport Area Joint Special Services Cooperative in Indiana.

Ms. Guard received a bachelor’s degree in Audiology and Speech Sciences and a master’s degree in Speech Pathology from Purdue University, where she was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1989.

John Hager
John Hager was nominated on June 1, 2004, to the position of Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education. He was confirmed by the Senate on November 21, 2004.

Prior to that, Mr. Hager served as Virginia’s Homeland Security Director in the position of Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness. Initially serving with Governor Gilmore after the events of September 11, 2001 and through the end of his term as Lieutenant Governor in January 2002, Mr. Hager led the transition effort and continued with Governor Warner’s cabinet through May 2004. He was responsible for coordinating the management, structure and organization of, and the funding for, the state’s security. Under his guidance, Virginia’s preparedness and homeland security strengthened in many areas and became a model for other states. During this time, Mr. Hager and his Washington, DC and Maryland counterparts initiated a cross-jurisdictional organization for the National Capital Region which leads the nation in preparedness.

Mr. Hager was elected to Virginia's second-highest office, that of lieutenant governor, in 1997, and served in that position for four years. His election proved that perseverance and determination in the face of daunting obstacles lead to victory in an election or in one's life. Mr. Hager's full-time approach of serving the people of Virginia redefined the role of the lieutenant governor for that state. He served as chairman or vice-chairman of five active state commissions and continued to participate in and lead many statewide civic, charitable and community efforts.

As lieutenant governor of Virginia, John Hager was a strong proponent of better education, improved transportation, and a more effective and efficient system of governance. As president of the Senate, he proudly cast numerous tie-breaking votes, including a vote to return the state's lottery profits to localities for use in public education. He received national recognition as chairman of Virginia’s Disability Commission and as a role model for disabled Virginians. A strong proponent of anti-crime initiatives, he was involved with the Drug Task Force, the DNA Task Force, and safe driving legislation.

A business executive who started at the bottom of the career ladder, Mr. Hager quickly rose through the ranks of the American Tobacco Company to the position of executive vice president. After a near-fatal bout with polio, he rebuilt his life and his career. He retired in 1994 as senior vice president of Leaf and Specialty Products when the corporation was sold. Over several years, he expanded his community service role across Virginia and led some 35 organizations during this time.

Mr. Hager graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and from Harvard University with a master's degree in business administration. He served in the United States Army and the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of captain. He is a member of the American Legion. A lifelong athlete, he has competed in many wheelchair races.

Arthur Levine
Arthur Levine is the sixth president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.  Before his appointment at Woodrow Wilson, he was president and professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University.  He also previously served as chair of the higher education program, chair of the Institute for Educational Management, and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Levine is the author of dozens of articles and reviews, including his most recent book, When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today’s College Student (with Jeanette S. Cureton).  Much of his research and writing in recent years has focused on increasing access to higher education and improving equity in the schools.  Dr. Levine’s numerous opinion editorials appear in such publications as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dr. Levine has received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship, as well as other educational literary awards, and 17 honorary degrees.  He currently sits on the boards of Blackboard, Inc., DePaul University, and All Kinds of Minds, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Levine was also previously President of Bradford College (1982-1989) and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation and Carnegie Council for Policy Studies in Higher Education (1975-1982).  He received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Jim Stovall
Jim Stovall has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, and he is the president of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network (NTN).  NTN has grown to include over 1,200 cable systems and broadcast stations, reaching over 35 million homes in the United States, and NTN is shown in 11 foreign countries.  NTN programming is also presented via the Internet at NarrativeTV.com, serving millions of people around the world.  Mr. Stovall hosts NTN’s talk show.  His guests have included Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Carol Channing, Steve Allen, and Eddie Albert, as well as many others.

Mr. Stovall has been recognized by the U.S. Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans, and the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity named him the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year.  He has been featured on “Good Morning America” and CNN, and in Time magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Stovall was recently selected as the 2000 International Humanitarian of the Year, joining Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa as recipients of this honor.

His best-selling book, The Ultimate Gift, has recently been released as a movie by 20th Century Fox starring James Garner, Brian Dennehy, and Abigail Breslin.  Stovall and his company, Narrative Television Network, are the leader in producing accessible educational programming for blind and visually impaired people across the country.