WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 24, 2011 – The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) has elected to its board of trustees former Nebraska Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey.
Kerrey joins former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Louis Sullivan and other distinguished citizens and public television leaders on the APTS board.
Kerrey currently serves as chairman of M & F Worldwide Education Holdings, the parent company of GlobalScholar, Scantron and Spectrum K-12, whose collective education offerings are marketed under the “GlobalScholar” brand. Prior to joining GlobalScholar, Kerrey served as the seventh President of The New School University in New York City.
In a distinguished career in public service, Kerrey led Nebraska as both a United States Senator and Governor. For 16 years, Kerrey worked to improve the quality of Nebraska’s primary, secondary and post-secondary schools. Following the 1983 “A Nation At Risk” report, Nebraska changed its laws at Kerrey’s urging to improve the quality of the K-12 curriculum, enhance professional development for teachers, and ensure that at-risk and advanced students would receive appropriate opportunities for enrichment.
As Senator, Kerrey led the development of a statewide education technology plan, which established the first virtual high school in the country and made Nebraska one of the first states to wire its schools to the Internet in the early 1990s. Kerrey co-chaired the Congressional Commission on Web-Based Education and helped enact legislation for education technology subsidies. Further, he assisted both the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in their efforts to improve science education.
Since leaving the Senate, Kerrey has continued to be involved in public service. He was a member of the 9-11 Commission, a co-chair of the National Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as a co-chair of the Concord Coalition. Additionally, he is a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s action committee and a board member of New York City’s Reading Reform Foundation. He is also an advisory board member of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association and was chairman of the College Board’s National Writing Commission.
Kerrey attended public schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska. Kerrey also served three years in the United States Navy and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service, the highest military award given by the U.S. government.
“I am delighted to join the board of the Association of Public Television Stations and to contribute whatever I can to their mission of public service at the local level,” said Senator Bob Kerrey. “I believe public television has an especially important role to play in the education of our children – and also in public safety, job training and other essential public services – and I look forward to working with Pat Butler, Rod Bates and other leaders of this industry to make the most of its enormous potential for service.”
“Senator Kerrey is a distinguished public servant whose steadfast commitment to education is evident throughout his career in both the public and private sectors,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “We are honored that he has agreed to join the APTS Board of Trustees and look forward to his invaluable expertise and guidance as public television stations become ever more important partners in classroom education in America.”
“Senator Kerrey has always believed that the power of technology can be used to not only improve education but lower the cost of delivering it,” said Rod Bates, chair of the APTS Board of Trustees and general manager of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. “He understands the value of public media in delivering on that promise. The transition that public media has made from analog to digital presents an enormous opportunity to address the challenges of education in America. We are fortunate that he has agreed to serve on the Association's board at this important time in our history.”
About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research and communications activities in order to achieve strong and financially sound noncommercial television and advanced digital services for the American people. APTS provides consistent leadership and information that helps our members better accomplish their own missions and goals. Through its affiliate APTS Action, APTS promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy, and grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
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