Maria Ferguson

Maria Ferguson
Executive Director, Center on Education Policy
(202) 994-8479
mferguson@gwu.edu

2140 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20037

Maria Voles Ferguson joined the Center on Education Policy (CEP) in June 2012 as the Executive Director. Before coming to the CEP, Maria served as the Vice President for Policy at the Alliance for Excellent Education, a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization in Washington, DC. In that capacity, Ms. Ferguson directed and managed the organization’s policy agenda, which provides leadership and information regarding the unique needs of high schools students to Congress, the Administration, business leaders and communities nationwide and advocates for increased support for the nation’s secondary schools.

Before joining the Alliance, Ms. Ferguson served as Director of the National School Boards Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works in conjunction with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to strengthen and support school board leadership in local communities. Ms. Ferguson directed the Foundation’s operations, managed the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, directed fundraising, and served as a liaison with NSBA.

Ms. Ferguson also worked as an independent consultant specializing in research, communications, and strategic planning. Ms. Ferguson worked with a wide range of clients, including Target Corporation, The Brookings Institution, the U.S. Department of Education’s Regional Education Laboratories, and Sidwell Friends School.

Ms. Ferguson served for three years as the Director of Field Operations for New American Schools. In that capacity, she directed a nationwide effort to assist schools and school districts as they implemented exemplary models that comprehensively focus school resources on effective teaching and greater student achievement.

Before joining New American Schools, Ms. Ferguson was a political appointee for the Clinton administration at the U.S. Department of Education, serving as the Director of Communication and Outreach Services for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Ms. Ferguson began her career as a journalist, working for Cox Newspapers, the Associated Press, and U.S. News & World Reportmagazine. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD with her husband and two children.

Programs

In the News

Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of GSEHD's Center on Education Policy, published an article entitled Money, power, and choices on Kappanonline.org. In her article, she refers to this handy infographic to help explain how state elections could influence education, which was put together by the Education Commission of the States.

Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of GSEHD's Center on Education Policy, was quoted in The Atlantic's article "Private Schools Are Becoming More Elite." She also published a piece on PDKpoll.org entitled, "Poll points to clear divisions on school safety."

Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of GSEHD's Center on Education Policy, was quoted in The Atlantic's "Why DeVos's Parkland Visit Failed."

Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of GSEHD's Center on Education Policy, published the piece Could American support for public education be slipping? on kappanonline.org. In addition, Ms. Ferguson was quoted in Education Week's Betsy DeVos Finds 'Bully Pulpit' No Easy Perch.

Maria Ferguson, Executive Director of GSEHD's Center on Education Policy, was interviewed on NPR's Here and Now. The interview was entitled Why Some Schools Are Extending The School Day. Listen to the interview.