Horace Mann League Honors Warner, Payzant at Luncheon

At the Horace Mann League of the USA’s annual meeting on Friday, two major awards will be presented. 

U,.S. Senator Mark Warner, Virginia

Outstanding Friend of Public Education: This will be presented to U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008, and he serves on the Senate Banking, Budget, Commerce and Intelligence committees. He has been a champion for public education as a senator and as Virginia governor.

Tom Payzant and Gary Mrarx

Outstanding Public Educator: This award will be presented to Thomas Payzant, who recently retired as a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior, he served as superintendent of the Boston Public Schools and the San Diego Unified Schools and was appointed by President Clinton as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Payzant just completed a book, Urban and District School Leadership, published by Jossey-Bass.

Joe Hairston, Charles Fowler, and Mark Edwards

The Horace Mann League also presents the Ambassador Award to those members who contribute to the growth of the membership. This year’s Ambassador awardees are: Brent Clark, Illinois; Mark Edwards, North Carolina; Charles Fowler, New Hampshire; Joe Hairston, Maryland; Eric King, Illinois; Carol Choye, New Jersey; and James Harvey, Washington.

The Horace Mann League Board Members (present at the Winter Board Meeting
front: James Harvey, Evelyn Holman, Joe Hairston, and Carol Choye
back: Stan Olson, Jack McKay, Gary Marx, Charles Fowler, Spike Jorgensen, Steve Rasmussen,
and Steven Ladd

The league, a pro-public education advocacy organization, is holding its awards luncheon in conjunction with the AASA national conference in Los Angeles.