Joel Klein is chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. Klein oversees a system of 1,631 schools with 1.1 million students, 136,000 employees, and a $21 billion operating budget. Klein launched Children First, a comprehensive reform strategy that has resulted in significant increases in student performance. In Children First’s next phase, Klein will cultivate teacher talent, expand school choices to best meet students’ needs, and innovate to ensure students are prepared for real-world opportunities in the 21st century. Formerly chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, Inc., Klein served as assistant US attorney general in charge of the antitrust division of the Department of Justice and was deputy White House counsel to President Clinton from 1993-1995. He has received numerous honorary degrees and won New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City.