Board Members

Grace Turner Creasey, M. Ed. 

President

Appointed to first full term – July 1, 2022
Date of expiration – June 30, 2026

Elected President of the Board on July 25, 2023.

Grace Turner Creasey was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Mrs. Creasey is the Executive Director of the Virginia Council for Private Education, authorized by the Code of Virginia (22.1-19) to accredit private nursery, preschool, elementary, and secondary schools in the Commonwealth.

Mrs. Creasey has extensive experience in educational instruction, accreditation, administration, and policy.  Mrs. Creasey earned an undergraduate degree in Government from Sweet Briar College and a Master of Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Richmond. Mrs. Creasey holds a Virginia Postgraduate Professional license in grades 6-12 Government/Civics, Gifted Education, and Administration & Supervision. She has over ten years of classroom teaching experience in Goochland County Public Schools and Norfolk Public Schools where she taught U.S. History, Civics, and Government. In addition to her classroom experience, Mrs. Creasey has served in both school leadership and administrative roles for an additional 8 years in both public and private schools in Virginia.

Mrs. Creasey served on the School Readiness Committee and Early Childhood Advisory Committee. She resides in Goochland County with her husband, Sheriff Steven Creasey, and their daughter.

Bill Hansen 

Vice President

Appointed to first full term – July 1, 2022
Date of expiration – June 30, 2026

Elected Vice President on July 25, 2023.

William D. Hansen was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Glenn Youngkin. 

Mr. Hansen was previously appointed by Governors George Allen and James Gilmore to serve on several boards and commissions, including the Champion Schools Commission and the Commission on the Future of Public Education.

Mr. Hansen has spent his entire career of 40 years working at the intersection of education and the workforce where he has led various organizations in government, business, social impact investing, and the non-profit and policy sectors.  Bill was recently appointed as the incoming President and CEO of Building Hope which is a non-profit leader in supporting education and public charter schools in underserved communities.  He also serves as General Partner for Green Street Impact Partners which invests in innovative education solutions.

Mr. Hansen was twice unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to key presidential appointments, as he served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education from 2001-2003 and he previously served as ED’s Assistant Secretary of Management and Budget and CFO.  Bill currently serves on the boards of several education companies which are working to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students in pre-K, K-12, higher education and the workforce areas.  He serves on the boards of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and Youth for Tomorrow in Fairfax County (founded by Coach Joe Gibbs).  He previously served on UVA’s School of Education Advisory Board for ten years.

Bill grew up in Arlington and graduated from Yorktown High School.  He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Economics from George Mason University and was later recognized as a distinguished alumnus by his alma mater.  He and his wife Kasi raised their six children in northern Virginia with each of them graduating from McLean High School in Fairfax County.  All of their 16 grandchildren live in the Commonwealth.

Mashea Ashton

Appointed to first full term - July 7, 2023
Date of Expiration - June 30, 2027  

Mashea Ashton was appointed to the Board by Governor Glenn Youngkin. 

Mrs. Ashton is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Pioneers Academy (DPA), a computer science focused charter middle and high school which she launched in Washington, DC in 2018.  Serving the district’s most vulnerable communities, DPA's mission is to develop the next generation of innovators.   

Prior to founding DPA, Mrs. Ashton served as the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund where she oversaw a $48 million initiative to support the quality growth of charter schools. She has also previously held senior roles within New Leaders for New Schools, the New York City Department of Education, and the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP).  Mrs. Ashton began her career as a special education teacher.

Mrs. Ashton has a Masters in special education and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and elementary education from William and Mary.  She currently serves on the board of the William and Mary Foundation.  Mrs. Ashton, her husband, and their twin school-aged children live in Northern Virginia.

Meg Bryce, Ph.D.

Appointed to first full term - July 24, 2024
Date of Expiration - June 30, 2028

Dr. Meg Bryce was appointed to the Board by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Dr. Bryce currently serves as an instructor at the University of Virginia with the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program, where she guides and mentors students in their Capstone projects. A passionate educator, she has taught cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and social psychology at the University of Virginia. Her background and expertise in psychology makes her well-equipped to navigate the most critical issues facing Virginia public schools and youth.

Dr. Bryce completed her undergraduate education at Amherst College and earned her master’s and PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Bryce grew up in Virginia and attended Virginia public schools for Grades K-12. She, her husband, and their four school-aged children live in Albemarle County. 

Anne B. Holton

Appointed to first full term – February 17, 2017
Date of Expiration – June 30, 2021
Reappointed to second full term – July 1, 2021
Date of Expiration – June 30, 2025

Anne Holton was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2017 by Governor Terry McAuliffe.  She was reappointed for a second four year term in 2021 by Governor Ralph Northam.

Anne Holton helped integrate Virginia's schools as a child when her father was Virginia's governor in the early 1970's and has been a champion for public education ever since. Ms. Holton served as Virginia’s Secretary of Education from 2013-2016. She served as First Lady of Virginia from 2006-2010, during which time she worked to reform the foster care system in Virginia. From 1998 to 2005, she served as a Judge on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for the City of Richmond, and was chief judge of the court from 2000 to 2003. Ms. Holton is a professor of education policy at George Mason University, where she served as Interim President in 2019-2020.

Ms. Holton graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University and earned her J.D.  from Harvard Law School. Ms. Holton and her husband, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, live in Richmond, VA. They have three adult children, all of whom attended Richmond Public Schools.

Debbie Kilgore

Appointed to first full term - July 7, 2023
Date of Expiration - June 30, 2027

Debbie Kilgore was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Mrs. Kilgore has taught Family and Consumer Science at Gate City High School for 36 years. During her time as a teacher, she was an advisor to the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and accompanied many students to state and national leadership conferences, with many of her students participating in competitive events. She has also served as an advisor to five state and two national officers. 

Mrs. Kilgore earned her B.S in Family and Consumer Science and Journalism from East Tennessee State University and her M.Ed. from Virginia Tech. With her background in career and technical education, Mrs. Kilgore recognizes the importance that CTE classes play in preparing students for the workforce and the significance of workforce readiness to the vitality of state and the country.

Mrs. Kilgore is a lifelong resident of Scott County. She and her husband have been married for 36 years and have a daughter and a son, as well as two granddaughters. 

Ida Outlaw McPherson

Appointed to first full term - July 25, 2024
Date of Expiration - June 30, 2028

Ms. Ida Outlaw McPherson was appointed to the Board by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Ms. McPherson is an experienced attorney, practicing law in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia for over 40 years. She specializes in education along with contracts, civil litigation, and business.

She is the former president of the NAACP Suffolk Chapter and 2021 recipient of the ICON award. She also served as the former president of the Virginia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Old Dominion Bar Association. 

Ms. McPherson has extensive government experience. She was appointed by Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell to serve as the Director of Virginia’s Department of Minority Business Enterprise (now known as the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity). She also served the Commonwealth as Chairman and member of the Virginia Manufactured Housing Board, having been appointed to the board previously by two Governors.   

Ms. McPherson earned her bachelor’s degree from Park College in Missouri as an honors graduate before attending Howard University School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor degree cum laude.  

Dr. Amber Northern

Appointed to first full term - July 7, 2023
Date of expiration - June 30, 2027

Dr. Amber Northern was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Dr. Northern is the Senior Vice President for Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a national think tank focused on K-12 education research, analysis, and commentary.  Besides overseeing the Fordham Institute's research, she routinely writes for Education Gadfly Weekly and hosts a research segment on the Education Gadfly Show podcast.  Prior to joining the Fordham Institute, she was senior study director at Westat Research, where she conducted education evaluation services for federal, state, and local education agencies. 

Dr. Northern earned a B.S. in English from Radford University, a M.S. in secondary education from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in education policy and evaluation from the University of Virginia. She has taught in Virginia public schools, at Tidewater Community College, and at the University of Virginia, and is a recognized authority on academic standards, career and technical education, and school choice.

Born and raised in Virginia, Dr. Northern now lives in Glen Allen. She is active in the Henrico North Rotary Club and in efforts to prevent colon cancer, to which she lost her beloved husband.

Andy Rotherham

Appointed to unexpired term – July 1, 2022
Date of expiration – June 30, 2025

Andrew J. Rotherham was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

He was previously appointed by then-Governor Mark Warner in 2005. Rotherham is a co-founder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit organization focused on dramatically improving education and life outcomes for systemically marginalized young people and their communities. 

Rotherham attended Virginia’s public schools through high school. He completed his undergraduate education at Virginia Tech and graduate school at the University of Virginia. His children attend Virginia public schools.