Jeanne Allen

Over three decades ago, Jeanne Allen founded the Center for Education Reform (CER) to restore excellence to education. With the help of many dedicated partners and teammates, she built it into the nation’s leading advocate for innovation and opportunity in education. Under her leadership, CER has influenced and pioneered the adoption of laws providing parents with choice and has launched a nationwide movement that has energized millions to engage in the fight for educational reform.

In 2021, Allen co-created and launched the Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless education, a $50 million initiative spanning four years. This effort ignited a new movement for change, resulting in more than 14 million new and diverse learning opportunities for students.

Today, CER’s initiative, STOP for Education, works to expand transformational education in every state.

Before establishing CER, Allen gained experience through various temporary and administrative roles before formally beginning her education and policy career on Capitol Hill in 1983. She later served as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Education under Secretary William J. Bennett.

She subsequently started the Heritage Foundation’s education program and was the founding director of TownHall, the first online communications portal, prior to launching CER.

Throughout her tenure, Allen has collaborated with numerous Silicon Valley education companies, gaining insights into the power of technology to expand the reach of innovative educational programs and services.

A strong advocate for education and entrepreneurship, she played an advisory role in the creation of the Master’s in Education Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the StartED Accelerator.

Recognizing the importance of communication in influencing policy and political outcomes, Allen dedicates significant time to speaking, writing, and media engagements. She is a contributor to Forbes Online and authors a weekly newsletter on Substack entitled Forza.

For those interested in podcasts, Allen hosts In Piazza, featuring insights from leaders across various industries. Although currently undergoing renovations, past interviews remain relevant and applicable to contemporary issues.

To learn more about the work she has been a part of and the motivations behind it, her book, An Unfinished Journey: Education & the American Dream (2020), provides deeper insights. She is also the author of  Education Reform: Before it Was Cool (2014), Manifesto: A Movement at Risk (2016) and co-author with Angela Dale of The School Reform Handbook: How to Improve Your Schools (1995).

Outside of policy and politics, Allen enjoys spending time with her adult children and grandchildren, where education policy remains a frequent topic of conversation.

In 2025, her goal is to accelerate the movement she began in 1993 by ensuring exponential growth in laws and policies that promote education freedom, flexibility, and full and fair funding for all families and students. She remains committed to working with those who share this vision until meaningful progress is achieved.

Allen is also deeply grateful for her husband, Dr. Kevin Strother—a classically trained musician, teacher, and charter boat captain—who joined her life nearly two decades ago, embracing a family of four teenagers and supporting her mission ever since.