For more information on West Virginia's 2008-2009 EPFP program click HERE for our downloadable brouchure. 

Click HERE for the downloadable 2008-2009 WV-EPFP Application.

2007-2008 West Virginia Education Policy Fellows


Cynthia Gissy, Steve Rodriquez, Donna Peduto, Barbara Owens
Adam Green, Melanie Skeen-Gregory, Rockie DeLorenzo, Nathan Estel and
Amena Anderson, with WV First Lady Gayle C. Manchin

West Virginia Education Policy Fellows Program

EPFP curriculum focuses on leadership, policy, and networking within the state and national contexts.  As current and prospective state leaders are identified as policy fellows, local and national forums are presented to enable these leaders to

• develop and refine their leadership voice;
• understand, identify and expand their ability to influence education policy making;
• gain access to the people, processes, and systems that shape policy on behalf of children and youth;
• to join a state and national network of diverse policymakers, decision makers, and practitioners.

Participants use their work settings as the context for examining important leadership and policy issues in their states and in the nation.  The program provides Fellows with experiences:

• that help them understand how policy is made and influenced;
• to learn about key domestic policy issues’
• to explore the connections and collisions between the issues and their champions and/or critics.
• to become skillful discussants with policymakers and stakeholders at all levels;
• to hone their skills as leaders and partners in collaborative change.

Click HERE to see the dinner/seminar topics and speakers for the 2007-2008 cohort.

West Virginia's 2nd Education Policy Fellowship Program cohort will be based in Charleston for 10 months beginning in October 2008. WV-EPFP dinner/seminars will focus on topics relevant to our people and state, including:

• The West Virginia education policy arena
• Linkages between education and the West Virginia economy
• Education, the economy and poverty in West Virginia
• Issues embedded in the 21^st Century Learning Partnership
• Other issues and topics relevant to the Appalachian life and culture of West Virginia’s children and families as it impacts education and schools.

In addition, policy fellows participate in two national conferences focusing on leadership and policy. This year the conferences will take place in Phoenix, AZ and Washington, DC.

Current and potential state and local leaders will be solicited from such educational stakeholders and entities as the West Virginia Department of Education, state elected officials, state educational organizations, and business and community leaders.

The Institute for Educational Leadership

The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL)is a non-profit, non-partisan organization located in Washington, DC. IEL’s mission is to build the capacity of individuals and organizations in education and related fields to work together across policies, programs and sectors to improve the quality of services and outcomes for America’s children and families. 

IEL prepares over 200 fellows a year nationally and has been in existence since 1964.  Alumni include distinguished national figures as well as leaders within the political and business communities of West Virginia.  EPFP programs currently exist in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.