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January 15, 2020
The Governor’s office has announced a new chair and member appointment to the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB).
New chair
Beginning January 20, Amy Frost will serve as Chair of the Professional Educator Standards Board. Amy, who was appointed to the Board in March 2017, has previously served as Vice Chair.
“I am incredibly honored to be appointed as Chair of the Professional Educator Standards Board,” said Amy. “The legislative and executive branches of government in Washington State have entrusted practicing educators with important decisions regarding the educator workforce, which is an honor and responsibility that I am proud to continue.”
A farewell to Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas, who has served two terms on the Professional Educator Standards Board, has been the Chair since July 21, 2016. Luke has been instrumental in supporting efforts to diversify the educator workforce, reduce barriers to the teaching profession and elevate educator voice in policy work.
“From my first board meeting in Vancouver more than five years ago to the beginning of 2020, it has remained utterly apparent that each and every student in our state has benefited from a board of thoughtful, brilliant and caring educators committed to excellence in teaching and learning.”
We want to thank him for his leadership and guidance in helping us to better serve Washington’s educators and students. We wish him nothing but success in future endeavors.
Luke’s last meeting as Chair will be in January. We plan to acknowledge Luke’s contributions at our March meeting.
New member
Governor Inslee has appointed longtime educator Robert Hand, as the newest member to join the Professional Educator Standards Board. His three-year term will begin on January 20, and his first formal board meeting will be in March. See our website for meeting information.
Meet Robert Hand
Robert is currently a family and consumer sciences teacher, and has been teaching at Mount Vernon High School since 2013. A former Washington State teacher of the year for 2019, Robert’s professional experience extends beyond the classroom. He is also a staff trainer and presenter for CharacterStrong, a member of the WA State STEM Education Innovation Alliance, and an independent keynote speaker.
As a new member of the Board, Robert most looks forward to ensuring “we have strong teacher preparation programs in high schools that specifically recruit students of color and multilingual students. I also look forward to ensuring that teachers are being sufficiently prepared to deliver high academic rigor as well as strong social and emotional support.” He believes “the single greatest factor in determining student success is the effectiveness of the teacher in the classroom.”
Robert has an associate degree from Edmonds Community College, a Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University, and a Master’s degree from Central Washington University.
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