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John Danielson is chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. In this role, Danielson, who previously served as a special assistant to former Education Secretary Lamar Alexander, works closely with the secretary and senior officers to fulfill the Department's mission and improve federal education programs so that no child is left behind.

Danielson returns to the department and to Washington, D.C., after an 8-year absence. During that period, he helped to found Community Education Partners (CEP), an education company that partners with public schools to offer disruptive and low-performing students alternative education opportunities. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Danielson is a native of Houston who has worked with Paige through CEP and various community organizations.

In July 1991, former President George Bush appointed Danielson as special assistant to Secretary Alexander. Later, as the National Community Director for AMERICA 2000, Danielson worked with governors, mayors, community leaders and education officials throughout the United States to encourage bipartisan community participation for revolutionary ideas in education reform, grounded in the National Education Goals.