We're not a school of government, yet Ed School graduates play a huge role in education policy around the world, especially in Washington, D.C. In fact, graduates are employed in nearly every agency and department, from the departments of labor, energy, and commerce to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the Library of Congress. Many, of course, also work for the U.S. Department of Education as undersecretaries, writers, policy analysts, and education program specialists, to name a few. Below are a sampling of positions held by Ed School graduates currently working for the federal government.

U.S. Department of Education
Martha Kanter, Ed.M.'74, undersecretary; Marshall "Mike" Smith, Ed.M.'63, Ed.D.'70, senior counselor to Secretary Arne Duncan; John Silvanus Wilson Jr., Ed.M.'82, Ed.D.'85, executive director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Robert Shireman, Ed.M.'89, deputy undersecretary; Gabriella Gomez, Ed.M.'01, assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs; Zakiya Smith, Ed.M.'07, director of government relations

U.S. Congress
Roberto Rodriguez, Ed.M.'98, senior education advisor, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA); Sophia King, Ed.M.'99, chief of staff, Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY)

U.S. Department of State
Erin Renner, Ed.M.'05, Laura Hochla, Ed.M.'05, Francis Cheever Jr., M.A.T.'71, Jennifer Lawson, Ed.M.'05, and Dina Tamburrino, Ed.M.'08, foreign service officers

U.S. Department of Energy
Barbara Twigg, M.A.T.'72, communications officer, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Paul Shapiro, Ed.M.'66, senior environmental engineer

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Edward Wright Jr., C.A.S.'74, senior budget officer; Julia Chiu, Ed.M.'03, disaster assistance directorate

Peace Corps
Nanayaa Kumi, Ed.M.'08, recruitment and placement specialist, Peace Corps Response National Institute for Literacy Lynn Reddy, Ed.M.'98, deputy director