NEWTON, MA | February 1, 2011
EDC President and CEO Luther Luedtke announced today that Judy Codding, president and CEO of America’s Choice, and Vijay Kumar, senior associate dean at MIT, have joined EDC’s board of trustees.
Codding is president and CEO of America’s Choice, a national education organization that develops research-based improvement solutions for states, districts, and schools. Previously, she served as vice president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, the parent company of America’s Choice. Before assuming these positions, Codding was the award-winning principal of Pasadena High School, a large urban school in Los Angeles. She has also been a teacher and principal at Bronxville High School and Scarsdale High School in New York. Codding was a charter principal of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national high school reform effort, and served as an education consultant to the Ministry of Education in the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. Department of Defense schools.
As senior associate dean and director of MIT’s Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, Kumar provides leadership for planning and implementing educational innovations. In this and prior roles at MIT, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Maine, Machias, Kumar’s work focused on integrating information technology in education. He was principal investigator of the Open Knowledge Initiative, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Kumar has served as an advisor to several institutions, including India’s National Knowledge Commission, UNESCO, the Open University of Catalonia, the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the Qatar Foundation International on educational technology and innovation. Kumar holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“As EDC addresses the critical educational challenges of our nation and the world, the skills and life experience of both our new trustees will be a tremendous asset,” said Luedtke. “Dr. Codding’s and Dr. Kumar’s creative support, including their expertise in technology, leadership development, and systems reform, will be invaluable as EDC expands its efforts throughout the United States and developing countries.”
Codding and Kumar join EDC trustees Charles Benton, chairman, Benton Foundation and Public Media Education; Beatriz Chu Clewell, The Urban Institute; Bradley Palmer, Palm Ventures; Linda G. Roberts, national education consultant; Vivien Stewart, Asia Society; Marvin Suomi, KUD International; Deborah Wadsworth, Public Agenda; Luther Luedtke, EDC; William MacArthur, Brooksville Development Corporation; and Gail T. P. Wickes.
Education Development Center, Inc., is a global nonprofit organization that develops solutions to urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development.
