Reimers Appointed to Board of Higher Education

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department
Office of Governor Deval L. Patrick
Press Release

Contact: Kim Haberlin, Alec Loftus, Bonnie McGilpin – 617-725-4025; Heather Johnson (EOE) – 617-979-8352

BOSTON – Monday, March 5, 2012 – Governor Deval Patrick today announced the appointments of David J. Barron and Fernando M. Reimers to the Board of Higher Education. The Board of Higher Education defines the mission and sets policy for the Massachusetts system of public higher education, including fifteen community colleges, nine state universities and five UMass campuses.

“David and Fernando both understand the critical role higher education plays in preparing our students to succeed in the 21st century global economy,” said Governor Patrick. “They will bring diversity and depth of experience to the board to ensure every student in Massachusetts has access to a world-class, affordable higher education.”

David Barron is currently the Hon. S. William Green Professor of Public Law at Harvard Law School, where he is been on the faculty for nearly 12 years. Mr. Barron served in the United State Department of Justice as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 2009 – 2010 and previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and U.S. Court of Appeals Justice Stephen Reinhardt in the mid-1990’s.  He is an expert on state and local government law and has written a number of books and articles in the field.

Mr. Barron graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in history and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Harvard Law School. He fills the vacancy left by former Board member Dr. Mario Rene Borunda. Mr. Barron currently resides in Cambridge with his wife and their three children.

“A superior system of higher education has never been more important to the future of the state and the nation than it is now, and I am honored to serve on the Board at this critical time,” said Barron.

Fernando M. Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Education and Director of the International Education Policy Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In addition to his over twenty years as a researcher and faculty member at Harvard, Dr. Reimers also served as Senior Education Specialist for the World Bank from 1996-1997 and as an instructor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in the early 1980’s. Mr. Reimers has done extensive international and comparative research in the areas of education policy, entrepreneurship and citizenship education. His teaching focuses in the areas of education policy reform and educational innovation. He has led and contributed to a number of innovative instructional education programs in higher and K-12 education, including a master’s program in international education policy, the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard, an executive program on global education and an advanced program to prepare public sector leaders for the Inter-American Development Bank. He recently led the design of a K-12 global studies curriculum for the Avenues School, a private school in New York City that is part of a planned global network of 20 schools.

Mr. Reimers graduated from the Universidad Central de Venezuela with a degree in psychology and earned masters and doctoral degrees in education from Harvard University. He fills the vacancy left by former Board member Dr. Mary Elizabeth Beach. Mr. Reimers currently resides in Belmont, with his wife and two sons.

“I am deeply honored by this appointment to the Board of Higher Education and look forward with enthusiasm to work with Chairman Desmond, Commissioner Freeland, Secretary Reville and my new colleagues on the Board in support of our public universities and community colleges as they provide a greater proportion of our youth access to a world class higher education that supports an innovation and inclusive economy in Massachusetts,” said Reimers.

“David Barron and Fernando Miguel Reimers bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and far-reaching experience to the Board of Higher Education,” said Charles Desmond, Chairman of the Board of Higher Education. “I along with other members of the Board eagerly await their contributions in service to the Commonwealth. This is an exciting time for public higher education, as we strive to produce the best educated citizenry and workforce in the nation.”