Advocacy Staff

The National School Boards Association serves as the national voice for school board members and public school children. NSBA works closely with its Federation Member leaders to formulate its advocacy agenda and is positioned as a national leader in the formulation and implementation of federal and national education policy.

NSBA's advocacy springs from one essential conviction: Education of our public school children must be the nation's top priority. We are committed to ensuring that the local school board voice is heard in every public policy forum in which education decisions are made or influenced.

The Office of Advocacy would like to hear from you. If you have comments on this site or would like to make a suggestion, please contact the Office of Advocacy at advocacy@nsba.org.

Meet Your Advocacy Team

NSBA’s Advocacy Team is composed of experienced government relations professionals who closely monitor actions on Capitol Hill, at the White House, and in the federal agencies. As an FRN member, you can depend upon them as your resource to help you maximize your school district’s impact on federal and national policies.

Advocacy and Issues Management Section

Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director

Kathleen L. Branch
Director, Advocacy Services

Melissa A. Harden
Field Coordinator

Tonja L. King
Administrative Assistant

Federal Relations Department

Reginald M. Felton
Director, Federal Relations

Deborah Rigsby
Director, Federal Legislation

Lucy Gettman
Director, Federal Programs

Katherine Shek
Legislative Analyst

Kim Connaghan
Legislative Coordinator

Center for Public Education

Patte Barth
Director