Webcast Info

CEO Forum Webcast - Minnesota Leaders Face to Face:  A Call to Action on Teacher Quality

Governor Pawlenty and Louis Gerstner, Jr., author of "Teaching at Risk: A Call to Action" and former IBM Chairman and CEO, will discuss education reform in Minnesota and across the nation.  Mr. Gerstner will talk about the need to modify our approach to teacher training, evaluation and pay in order to remain globally competitive. Mr. Gerstner established and chairs the Teaching Commission - a panel of 19 leaders in government, business, philanthropy and education including Barbara Bush and 3M CEO Jim McNerney.

This program is a joint venture of the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Business Partnership, MHTA, and various Chambers of Commerce.

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Speaker Info

Governor Tim Pawlenty, State of Minnesota

Tim Pawlenty was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2002, with the state facing an historic $4.5 billion budget deficit. Just months later, the Legislature adopted Pawlenty's plan to eliminate the deficit without raising taxes or cutting funding for K-12 classrooms. In addition to balancing the budget, Governor Pawlenty fought for and passed a dramatic overhaul of the state's education standards, significant welfare reform, lawsuit reform, a range of new government efficiency initiatives, and passed the largest transportation package in modern history. Pawlenty has also outlined an aggressive agenda, including a nation-leading effort to make affordable prescription medicine available to citizens. His prior public service career includes being a prosecutor and Eagan City Council member. Pawlenty served 10 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, including four as House Majority Leader.

Louis Gerstner, Jr., Chair of the Teaching Commission

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. was chairman of the board of IBM Corporation from April 1993 until his retirement in December 2002. He served as chief executive officer of IBM from 1993 until March 2002. In January 2003 he assumed the position of chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm located in Washington, DC. A lifetime advocate of the importance of quality education, Mr. Gerstner recently created a Commission on Teaching to develop specific policy recommendations to deal with the teaching crisis America is facing. From 1996 to 2002 he co-chaired Achieve, an organization created by U.S. Governors and business leaders to drive high academic standards for public schools in the United States. At IBM he established Reinventing Education as a strategic partnership with 21 states and school districts which utilize IBM technology and technical assistance to eliminate key barriers to school reform and improve student performance. He is co-author of the book Reinventing Education: Entrepreneurship in America's Public Schools (Dutton 1994). He has received numerous awards for his work in education, among them the Cleveland E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to Education - Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Distinguished Service to Science and Education award from the American Museum of Natural History. In recognition of his efforts on behalf of public education, as well as his business accomplishments, Mr. Gerstner was awarded the designation of honorary Knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2001.