STAFF
Linda Chavez is President of the READ Institiute. The New York Times calls her "an influential voice on civil rights policy." The Washington Post describes her as one of "a new generation of intellectuals [seeking] to question the orthodoxy's of the civil rights establishment."Chavez is the author of Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation, which chronicles the untold story of Hispanic progress and achievement and addresses the implications of bilingual education, voting rights, immigration, and affirmative action. The Denver Post said that the book "should explode the stereotypes about Hispanics that have clouded the minds of patronizing liberals and xenophobic conservatives alike."
Many know Chavez from her weekly column which appears in dozens of newspapers. She writes often for many other publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, The New Republic, Commentary, and Reader's Digest. She also makes regular appearances on "Nightline," "The McLaughlin Group," "CNN & Co.," "Equal Time," and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer."
Chavez has held a number of political positions, among them White House Director of Public Liaison (1985) and director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1983-85). She was editor of the prize-winning quarterly journal of the American Federation of Teachers, American Educator (1977-83). She also served as U.S. Expert on the United Nations Subcommission on Human Rights (1992-96) and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Chavez currently sits on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations and corporations, inculding Greyhound Lines and ABM Industries, and is working on her second book.
Jorge Amselle is the Executive Director of the READ Institute. He specializes in multicultural and bilingual education, as well as language and assimilation issues in the Hispanic community. He is the author of the Parents’ Guide to Bilingual Education and editor of The Failure of Bilingual Education.
Mr. Amselle has had extensive contacts with Hispanic parents, educators and community activists around the country and is currently assisting parents with legal representation in California and New Mexico. He has also worked on immigration and civil rights issues affecting the Hispanic community and testified before Congress on these issues.
He has spoken on bilingual education, affirmative action, assimilation and immigration in national media including Univision, Telemundo, FOX News, CBS Radio News, C-SPAN, and PBS. Articles by Mr. Amselle have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, National Review, and The Weekly Standard.
Sean Fitzgerald is a Policy Analyst for the READ Institute. He is responsible for conducting and supervising research on bilingual education and other issues affecting the education of language minority students. Mr. Fitzgerald has a strong business background. Prior to joining READ he worked extensively in Venezuela as an English instructor at the Centro Venezolano Americano Del Zulia. He also co-founded the English Training Center for Latin American executives and worked for the Venezuelan government as a legal translator.
ROSALIE PEDALINO PORTER, Ed.D.
Editor of READ Perspectives and an Educational Consultant in Amherst, Massachusetts.
RALPH BEALS, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
Amherst College
KEVIN CLARK.
Educational Consultant
Clark Consulting Group
Stockton, California
ROBERT E. ROSSIER, Ph.D.
Educational Consultant
Los Angeles, California
SANDRA STOTSKY, Ed.D.
Assistant Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Education
CAROL WHITTEN
Former Director
Office for Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (OBEMLA)
U.S. Department of Education
JIM LITTLEJOHN
Former Program Director
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
