Maria Ferguson

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.