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Dutko Worldwide Bolsters Education Team with Addition of Eugene Hickok : 07-18-2005
-- Addition of Former Deputy Secretary of Education is Part of Firm’s Continued Rapid Talent Growth in 2005 --
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 18, 2005 – Dutko Worldwide, one of the fastest-growing public policy firms in the nation, announced today the addition of Dr. Gene Hickok, former Deputy Secretary of Education, as Senior Policy Director. In this capacity, Dr. Hickok will take the helm of Dutko Worldwide’s education practice and bring new insight and expertise to the well-established firm. Dr. Hickok is a nationally recognized leader in education reform who has committed his career to advancing innovations in education at the local, state and national levels, including serving as Secretary of Education under Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and as both Deputy and Under Secretary of Education at the United States Department of Education.
“Gene Hickok is simply one of the most respected and skilled education policy experts in the country,” said Dutko Worldwide President Craig Pattee, himself a former senior staff member at the Department of Education in the first Bush administration. “We’re tremendously excited that Gene is bringing his level of expertise and innovation to our firm. Together, we have built an education practice that is second-to-none in Washington, or anywhere in the country. This team is on the cutting edge of leading education reforms at the state and federal levels.”
Hickok commented, “I am truly excited to be joining the Dutko Worldwide team. Dutko is an organization with energy, ideas and a real sense of entrepreneurship. What excited me the most is the opportunity to continue to push for the kinds of improvements in American education needed if we are going to continue to be a great nation. I am eager to work with organizations and individuals who have something to contribute to this important work.”
Education is rapidly becoming a $1 trillion industry, representing 10% of America's GNP and second in size only to the health care industry. Federal and State expenditures on education exceed $750 billion while education companies generate $80 billion in annual revenues. Yet there remain few national experts in education business consulting.
Dutko Worldwide is unique in this space. For more than ten years, Dutko Worldwide’s education practice has worked with a wide-range of leading education companies and organizations in pre-K, K-12, and postsecondary education, as the education industry has responded to the shifting demands of public education in response to changes in federal and state policy. The firm’s unique capabilities at the federal and state levels give Dutko a decisive advantage in assisting education clients and has enabled Dutko to help shape education policy at all levels of government.
Pattee continued, “Gene’s combination of state and federal experience is a perfect fit with our strategy of building a practice that serves the needs of education clients throughout the country. Education is an issue that bridges federal, state, and local governments, and no one has Gene’s experience and reputation across that field.”
Hickok served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Education for six years, beginning in 1995. Alongside Governor Tom Ridge, he pursued an aggressive reform agenda that produced charter schools, higher academic standards, higher standards for teachers, rewards for schools that excel and consequences for underperforming schools, technology initiatives and more.
In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Hickok Under Secretary of Education. There, he worked with Secretary of Education Rod Paige, the White House and Congress to help create the No Child Left Behind Act. While Under Secretary, Hickok was responsible of the implementation of that law, and oversaw strategic planning and policy development in the offices of special education, vocational and adult education, postsecondary education, and educational innovation and improvement. In July of 2003 he began serving as acting Deputy Secretary and became Deputy Secretary of Education in 2004.
The addition of Gene Hickok is another step in Dutko Worldwide’s unique strategy of building the first independent public affairs firm with a national and global multi-disciplinary public policy management capability. Other recent moves include adding a new office in Miami and hiring staff with experience in the White House, Congress, local government and political campaigns. In recent years, the company has added offices and operations in every corner of the United States, giving it a true 50-state reach. In 2004, the company began a global affairs practice to help clients build public-private partnerships abroad, and opened an office in Prague that focuses on the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. The firm combines this worldwide reach with best-in-class federal lobbying and strategic consulting, state-based partnership-building, global strategic consulting, research and polling, and government marketing services. More domestic and international capabilities are planned for 2005 and beyond.
About Dutko Worldwide
Dutko Worldwide provides comprehensive government affairs management and strategic counsel and helps build public—private partnerships with federal, state and international levels of government. Dutko is consistently ranked as one of the “top 10 most powerful lobbying firms” in the country by FORTUNE magazine. Dutko Worldwide’s principle operating units are Dutko Global Advisors, Dutko Washington, Dutko State & Local, Dutko Research & Polling, and Dutko Government Markets.
For more information go to www.dutkoworldwide.com or call us at 202-484-4884.
Click here to read a recent Education Week article on Dr. Hickok
Click "View Article" to read a recent Washington Post article on Dr. Hickok
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