About Tom Gentzel
A nationally recognized advocate for public education, Tom Gentzel is committed to promoting sound state and federal policies that advance learning opportunities and educational access for every child through effective school board governance. A former CEO of national and statewide associations, he has written extensively on education, school governance and nonprofit leadership issues, and has been a keynoter and presenter in nearly 40 states, five Canadian provinces and London, England.
Gentzel led the National School Boards Association (NSBA) as its Executive Director and CEO for almost eight years. Headquartered in the Washington DC metro area, NSBA is a federation of state school boards associations that advocates on behalf of the locally elected and appointed officials who govern the nation’s 13,000 public school districts. In June 2020, he retired from NSBA, having been honored by the association’s Board of Directors, which named him Executive Director and CEO Emeritus.
Tom Gentzel’s career has been dedicated to public education and the students it serves. He capped more than three decades at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) by serving as its Executive Director for 11 years, after previously leading PSBA’s advocacy efforts as head of its Governmental and Member Relations Department.
Gentzel was named one of 20 national education Thought Leaders by Trust Ed in 2017. He is a former chair of the Learning First Alliance (a coalition of 11 of the country’s leading education organizations), and is a recipient of the Edward Donley Award from the Education Policy and Leadership Center, on whose board he now serves. Gentzel also is a member of the National Board of Counselors for the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University, the Steering Committee for the Educating for American Democracy Project, the Inner Circle advisory committee of Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG), and the Selection Committee for AASA's National Superintendent of the Year program. Gentzel also serves as a Senior Partner with Strategic Partnerships LLC. He has been interviewed by ABC News, the Washington Post, U.S. World & News Report, National Public Radio, The Morning Briefing on SiriusXM Radio, Good Morning America, CSPAN's Washington Journal, the Associated Press, Politico, and Education Week, among many others.
Gentzel earned Bachelor of Science in Community Development and Master of Public Administration degrees from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a former member of the university’s Outreach Advisory Board, delivered the 2017 Commencement Address to its College of Education and was recipient of the college’s 2018 Service to Penn State Award.
In 2020, he founded Gentzel Insights LLC as a means of continuing his service to public education and nonprofit leadership, through public speaking, writing, training and consulting – drawing from four decades of working directly with local school officials, advocating for sound education policies in Congress, federal agencies and state legislatures, and heading major national and statewide organizations.
Reports and Presentations
In November 2021, Tom Gentzel was the featured speaker at the Fall Conference of the Public School Boards Association of Alberta (PSBAA), in Edmonton. His presentation covered an array of topics, including the role of public education in a democracy, how school boards impact student achievement, and a discussion of current issues, such as the pandemic, diversity, equity and inclusion, and preparing the future workforce.
Click here for links to those segments.
Tom Gentzel was a featured speaker at the March 9, 2021 Sarasota Institute for Lifetime Learning (SILL) Global Issues 2021 Forum. Tom's session, "Pandemics, Privatization and Political Power Plays," reviewed the history of public education in the United States and current issues facing public schools, including the pandemic.
Watch the session.
Local education innovations are needed now more than ever to minimize learning loss caused by the pandemic and to promote school improvement. Many school boards have been thrust onto the front lines of helping communities navigate the current public health crisis, while also addressing significant social – and in some regions environmental – challenges facing the country.
Released in October 2020, and prepared in conjunction with Foresight Law and Policy, a DC-based firm, "Equipping School Boards to be Engines of Innovation in Education During the Pandemic and Beyond" aims to stimulate discussions among local board members about how to respond to these immediate disruptions while strengthening schools to support students and educators over the long term.
Access the report.
Watch the panel session.
View the PowerPoint.
On Oct. 12, 2020, Tom Gentzel spoke about school board/ superintendent relations, and his recommendations for building strong leadership teams, with a cohort of Pennsylvania school superintendents seeking National Certification from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). His interview was part of a larger program, and runs from 32:28 to 2:01:50 on this recording.
Watch the interview.
In November 2020, Tom Gentzel was interviewed as part of the program for the virtual Annual General Meeting of the Manitoba School Boards Association. The discussion focused on how school boards can promote equity in public education and ensure that all voices are heard as important policy decisions are being made.
Watch the presentation.
Tom Gentzel was a featured speaker at Gartner's Leaders Forum in London in July 2019, where he discussed "Educating for the Future Workplace," including NSBA's initiative with the business community to close the skills gap. The exclusive annual event attracts Chief Operating Officers and Chief Supply Chain Officers from multinational companies.
Read the presentation.
Tom Gentzel was the May 2017 commencement speaker for the Penn State College of Education graduating class. He posed a simple question ("so what?") that reflects the need for curiosity as the basis for life-long personal growth.
Read the commencement address.
Contact Tom Gentzel
