Jeanne Allen

Jeanne works to advance policies and practices that ensure students have access to 21st century education that best meet their needs. She founded and serves as CEO of the Center for Education Reform (CER) which for over 3 decades has influenced critical changes in how US education operates. In 2021, Allen co-founded the Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education, now the STOP for Education Initiative, to grow the number of outstanding education providers which outperform for underserved students. With her expertise she has advised numerous administrations, state chief executives and policymakers.

Allen began her career on Capitol Hill and was a senior official in the U.S. Department of Education. She has helped education companies to bring about new innovations in teaching and learning and was advisor to the University of Pennsylvania on the creation of its Masters in Education Entrepreneurship program, as well as co-founder of the StartED Accelerator.  Jeanne’s writings and commentary on education, politics and culture can be found throughout the media, including in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Newsweek and Fox.  Her passion for her Italian-American heritage also carries through to her newsletter, Forza for Education, the in Piazza podcast, her most recent publication, The Unfinished Journey; Education and the American Dream.

Active in many spiritual works, Jeanne is Dame in both the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George and the Order of Malta. She has a BA from Dickinson College, an MS from UPenn, four amazing kids, four grandkids, two dogs and one boat Captain-educator-musician husband. They live in Bethesda, Maryland and Chatham, Massachusetts.

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