2013 Texas Tribune Festival

Smith reports on politics and education for The Texas Tribune. She writes about the effects of the state budget, school finance reform, accountability and testing in Texas public schools. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for "Death of a District... Read More →

Bhatia joined Uplift Education, which operates 28 charter schools and serves 10,000 students, in 2009. She had previously been a consultant at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, for nine years. She received her MBA from Stanford University. She is currently... Read More →

Feinberg co-founded the Knowledge Is Power Program in 1994, which now includes 141 public charter schools in 20 states and D.C., with over 30 of those schools in Texas. Feinberg received his master’s of Education from National Louis University and an honorary doctorate of Humane... Read More →

Middleton serves as the southwestern regional vice president for the College Board, a nonprofit organization that connects students to college resources. Previously, he served as superintendent of North East Independent School District for more than two decades. Middleton received... Read More →

Patrick, R-Arlington, was first elected in 2006 to represent District 94 in the Texas House. She serves as the vice chairwoman of the Higher Education Committee and sits on the Appropriations and Rules and Resolutions committees. Previously, Patrick served on the Arlington Independent... Read More →