U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that Mary Jane T. Pearson will serve as the Secretary's Regional Representative for Region IX. With headquarters in San Francisco, Region IX includes Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The Department of Education maintains 10 regional offices throughout the country, which represent department programs and interests on a regional basis.

"I am pleased to have Mary Jane Pearson working as a part of our team to help implement the No Child Left Behind Act," said Paige. "Working together with parents, educators, states, and community leaders, we can bring real accountability to our public school system and make sure no child is left behind."

As the Secretary's Regional Representative, Pearson will serve as the department's liaison to state and local education agencies, public and private schools, colleges and universities and elected representatives of local and state government organizations. In addition, she will assist with communicating information about department programs and initiatives to key constituency groups, including parents, members of the business community and civic leaders.

Prior to joining the Education Department, Pearson served as chief academic officer for Community Education Partners, an education company located in Texas that partners with public schools to offer disruptive and low-performing students alternative education opportunities. In that capacity, she served as a policy and academic representative to national, state and local agencies, business development teams, and public policy interest groups. In addition, she designed academic and behavioral programs for low-performing and disruptive middle and high school students. Pearson has more than 30 years of teaching experience, most recently as a full professor in the School of Education at California State University, Sacramento where she served from 1980-1999.

A native of Chanute, Kan., Pearson received her masters degree and doctorate from the University of Kansas.

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