E. Joseph Schneider has been in education for more than 30 years as an association executive, research manager, and communication director. He is Managing Partner of Leadership Development Resources, an educational consulting company based in Arlington, Virginia. Concurrently, he also serves as executive secretary of the National Policy Board for Educational Administration, a coalition of ten national education associations concerned about educational leadership. Previously, he was the deputy executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the national membership association of school superintendents. Prior to that, he was the deputy executive director of the Southwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Los Alamitos, California. He also has 15 years of experience as the CEO of a Washington, D.C., education association whose members are university-based research centers and nonprofit educational research and development agencies. His mas-ter’s degree in journalism is from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the National School Public Relations Association. He is coauthor of The Unauthorized Communication Handbook (1991) and Exploding the Myths: Another Round in the Education Debate (with Paul D. Houston) (1993). He has also written more than 100 education-related journal, magazine, and newsletter articles. His latest book, coauthored with Ronald G. Corwin, is The School Choice Hoax: Fixing America’s Schools (2005).
Lara L. Hollenczer, the mother of two public school youngsters, is heavily involved in local educational issues as a parent, community activist, and local business owner. Professionally, she made her mark by helping law firms harness the capacity of the Internet for “branding” their firms, conducting market research, and developing new clients. After stints at several large Washington, D.C., law firms, she joined a fast-growing Annapolis, Maryland, advertising and public relations agency where her clients included local and state teacher associations. After several years at the agency, she expanded her business to assist clients with research, market development, and media planning. She is accredited in public relations with the Public Relations Society of America and is a Professional Certified Marketer with the American Marketing Association. Her master’s degree is in communication management from Syracuse University.
