Biographies Deputy Secretary Hickok Under Secretary McPherson

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the appointments of Eugene Hickok as deputy secretary of education and Edward McPherson as under secretary of education. Hickok had been serving as both acting deputy secretary and under secretary; McPherson had been serving as the chief financial officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As deputy secretary, Hickok will oversee and manage the development of policies, recommendations and initiatives that help define a broad, coherent vision for achieving the president's education priorities, including the No Child Left Behind Act. As under secretary, McPherson will be a principal policy advisor to Secretary Paige on management and financial issues.

Regarding the announcement, Paige said, "I would like to thank President Bush for appointing Gene and Ted to these key leadership positions. With the full complement of senior staff, we will continue to carry out the work of the department and the president's vision of truly leaving no child behind. The law aims to provide a quality education to all children -- regardless of their skin color, spoken accent or street address -- and we are already starting to see results. Both Gene and Ted are proven, effective leaders and I value their counsel and look forward to an even closer working relationship with them both. The department and the country will benefit from their expertise."

Since July, Hickok has served as both under secretary of education and acting deputy secretary of education. He was confirmed as under secretary of education in July 2001.

Prior to joining the Bush administration, Hickok served six years as secretary of education in the administration of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. Before that, he was a political science professor at Dickinson College and the founding director of Dickinson's Clarke Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Contemporary Issues. Hickok earned his bachelor's degree from Hampden-Sydney College and his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

McPherson previously served as president of InterSolve Group, a company he founded in 1989, and as executive vice president and chief financial officer for SunAmerica Corporation and the First Republic Bank Corporation. McPherson served as a member of the U.S. Navy and is a graduate of Williams College, and earned his master's degree from The George Washington University.

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