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Judge Eric Andell, former Texas appeals court justice and juvenile court judge has been named Deputy Under Secretary and will direct the new Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools within the Department. He formerly served as senior adviser to Secretary Paige.

Andell will oversee all activities related to safe schools, crisis response, alcohol and drug prevention, health and well-being of students and building strong character and citizenship. His office will also take the leadership role in the Department's homeland security efforts.

As senior adviser and special counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Education, he provided recommendations and guidance on juvenile justice, school safety, drug abuse reduction and other related issues requiring action by the secretary or the Department.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, Andell served as a judge for the 315th District Court of Texas (Juvenile Court) and most recently as a justice for the First Court of Appeals for the state of Texas. During his earlier tenure as a juvenile court judge, he helped establish High Point High School, one of the earliest high schools committed to serving at-risk students who had been expelled from the public school system. Andell has also served as chair of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission; vice chair of the Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation of Harris County; chair of At-Risk Students, a program sponsored by the Harris County Education Foundation; and was a member of the Houston/Harris County Commission on Children.

His many awards include the Mayor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service for the City of Houston, Appellate Judge of the Year in 1997 and again in 2000, Outstanding Texas Jurist of the Year by the Texas Bar Foundation, District Court Judge of the Year by the Houston Police Officers Association, the Judicial Excellence Award of the Houston Council on Alcoholism and Drugs and many others.

He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

He is the father of two grown children, Bethany and John, and has completed 29 marathons, including 20 consecutive Houston marathons.