NWEA names Christopher Minnich as new CEO

Portland, Ore., Oct. 23, 2017 -- The NWEA board of directors today announced that Christopher Minnich has been named as the organization’s new chief executive officer. The position is being vacated by Matt Chapman, who is retiring after more than a decade in the role, having led the organization from serving two million kids to more than ten million worldwide.

Minnich will assume duties starting on January 29, 2018.  He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Council of Chief State Schools Officers (CCSSO). 

“Chris impressed us with his deep expertise with assessment combined with his expansive vision for its possibilities,” said Kenneth Wong, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair for Education Policy at Brown University, and NWEA board chair. “We believe he is the right person to lead NWEA into a new era while preserving its mission and values.”

Minnich has served CCSSO since 2008, becoming its executive director in 2012. In that role, he has worked with states to raise the bar on standards, assessments and accountability, transform educator preparation programs, and implement and sustain promising reforms across the country.  He was also a critical player in passage of Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.

“I am honored that the board has given me this opportunity,” said Minnich. “I have always seen NWEA as an innovator able to keep a critical focus on serving students and teachers, undergirded with important research capabilities. I am truly excited about the opportunities ahead.”

From 2005-2008, Minnich held multiple positions at Harcourt, all focused on the advancement and improvement of assessments. Before joining Harcourt, he served as the Director of Test Design and Implementation at the Oregon Department of Education from 2003-2005. While there, he led the statewide implementation of Oregon's online assessment. 

“We could not be more excited to welcome Chris to NWEA,” said Matt Chapman.  “His roots in Oregon, fluency in the education policy challenges of the day, and vision for a cohesive system based on multiple measures designed to return maximum value to teachers and students align completely with our mission of partnering to help all kids learn.”

Minnich holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle, as well as a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. He will be relocating to Portland, Oregon with his wife and two sons.

About NWEA

NWEA^® is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative Pre-K–12 assessments, professional learning that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning, and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators in 140 countries and more than half the schools in the US rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP^® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP^® Skills™; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5e15464a-c1d1-44e1-b499-465f7dc8b2ef

Jessica Schwartz Hahn
NWEA
571-970-6440
[email protected]