Gene Bedley

Gene Bedley is an award-winning educator and an international consultant for the Bureau of Education and Research. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the National Character Education Center in Rancho Santa Margarita California.

Gene has authored dozens of books and materials on character development, including The Big R: Responsibility, Discipline Strategies and Solutions, The Respect Factor and the Self Management Program, which are currently being used across North America by more than 200,000 educators and parents. As a frequent keynote speaker at national and international conferences, Gene is known for his highly practical, innovative and portable ideas.

Gene is chairman of Rachel’s Challenge National Educational Advisory Board the largest assembly and youth leadership training program in North America. Rachel’s Challenge includes the true life story of Rachel Scott the first student killed in the Columbine High School shooting. The program is currently reaching 1,500,000 students each year.

Gene’s pioneering work in Character Education has brought him numerous awards including the PTA National Educator of the Year, Keeper of the Dream from the Association of California School Administrators, Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, the George Washington Honors Medal from the National Freedom Foundation, and most recently, the National Rotarian Paul Harris Award for Character-Centered Classrooms.

Dr. Robert Bryant

Dr. Bryant is a highly respected and honored educator and public school administrator in the state of Florida. Robert has earned advanced degrees from New York University, Florida State University, and his Doctor of Laws from Bethune Cookman College.

Since entering the education profession, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal of a high school, assistant superintendent, district superintendent, and school board member. Upon his retirement he has served as an advisory to and board member of the Professional Educators Network of Florida (PEN).

In addition, Dr. Bryant has served other professional organizations as:

• Past President of Florida Association of Secondary School Principals
• Board Member of the Association of Florida School District Superintendents
• Chairman of Florida State Hospital Advisory Board
• Board Member of Florida A&M University Community Development
• Member of Tallahassee Community College Foundation Board
• Advisory Council to Panhandle Regional Center for Excellence in Mathematics & Science
• Member of United States Military Academy Nomination Board

Dr. Bryant has received many special awards and recognition for his achievements in the field of education, including the Bethune Cookman College Pinnacle Award and the NAACP Black Achievers Award. In addition, Dr. Bryant served on the Teacher Assistance Corp (TAC) at the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Bryant is a Korean War Veteran, having served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army.

Anne Canfield

Anne Canfield is President of Canfield & Associates, Inc., a firm she formed in October 1996. Canfield & Associates, Inc. is a Washington , D.C. based government relations consulting firm providing strategic planning, policy advice, and representational services to major U.S. corporations on federal and state legislative and regulatory issues.

Ms. Canfield also serves as Executive Director of the Consumer Mortgage Coalition, a trade association representing national mortgage providers. As the Executive Director of the CMC, Ms. Canfield has appeared publicly on nationally televised programs, at industry conferences, and testified on Capitol Hill to advocate proposals to streamline the mortgage process along with other initiatives that would benefit the industry and consumers alike.

She also serves as Executive Director of the Rx Benefits Coalition, a diverse group of employers and others payers and providers of prescription drug benefits, committed to ensuring that consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drug services.

Prior to forming Canfield & Associates, Inc. Ms. Canfield was a Principal in the firm of McClure, Gerard & Neuenschwander, Inc. (MGN). Ms. Canfield joined MGN following ten years as Manager of Government Relations for GE Capital Services. In that position, she developed and implemented corporate policy and legislative and regulatory strategies both domestically and abroad. Ms. Canfield was also a member of Kidder, Peabody 's Senior Strategic Policy Group that focused on the market impact of economic and political trends around the world for the firm's worldwide clients.

Before joining GE Capital, Ms. Canfield had over ten years of experience on Capitol Hill, working as a senior staff advisor for three Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then as the senior advisor and Senate Finance Committee aide to a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Ms. Canfield received degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Paris, Paris, France.

Christina Culver

Christina Erland Culver brings a wealth of political, policy, communications and non-profit experience to the Christina Culver Group a strategic consulting practice which she founded in 2009. Christina’s expertise is in providing strategic advice in building public private partnerships, taking non-profit and for-profit innovation to scale, promoting innovation policy throughout federal, state and local government, and using new media in communications and learning. Prior to forming her own firm, Christina was Vice President of Dutko Worldwide where she served their education client practice. Christina’s experience includes several years of service at the U.S. Department of Education where she served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs. Prior to government she was Vice President of Public Affairs for Children First America a national non-profit organization in support of K-12 scholarship programs for low-income families working to advance school choice public policy. She also served in the White House under President George H.W. Bush in Presidential Personnel and got her start in Washington working for Senator Bob Dole’s 1988 presidential campaign.

Christina is president of the board of the non-profit Innovative Learning Systems that conducts educational research and media-based accelerated learning programs to help individuals with learning disabilities. She serves on the boards of Association of American Educators Foundation, serving teachers throughout the U.S.; Living Classrooms and Discovery Creek Museum, an environmental science learning experience for children; and Wired Education which provides on-line video streaming programming into economically disadvantaged K-12 classrooms. Christina is a regular political contributor in the national media appearing on Fox News and Fox Business. She co-authored a book, Virtual Schooling: a Guide to Optimizing Your Child’s Education, which was released in June 2009.

Christina is a recent graduate of the U.S. Naval War College with a Masters degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, and has a B.A. in political science from the University of Kansas.

Becky Norton Dunlop

Secretary/Treasurer

Becky Norton Dunlop is a vice president of the Heritage Foundation, an education and research institute headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the senior management team with oversight responsibilities for external relations departments that do strategic outreach. She is the foundation’s chief ambassador to external audiences speaking about the Heritage Foundation’s products and the conservative principles on which Heritage was founded that inform policy debates in the world community today.

Her career prior to Heritage includes serving as Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Cabinet of Governor George Allen (1994-1998). During her tenure, agencies were streamlined, decentralized and down-sized while the quality and condition of the natural resources and the environment were enhanced. Mrs. Dunlop was a senior official in the Administration of President Ronald Reagan, including service as Deputy Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel and Special Assistant to the President and Director of his Cabinet office in the White House from 1981-1985. In addition, she served in the U.S. Department of Justice in 1985 and 1986 as Senior Special Assistant to the Attorney General managing Cabinet level domestic policy issues including environment, family policy, federalism, tort reform, privatization and welfare reform. She also was in the Reagan Administration subcabinet as Assistant Secretary of the Interior Department for Fish, Wildlife and Parks and was Deputy Undersecretary of DOI also.

Mrs. Dunlop is the author of Clearing the Air, an autobiographical narrative about her tenure as Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources which discusses environmental and natural resources challenges in the context of federalism. She is a frequent speaker both in the United States and internationally on topics as diverse as the Reagan Presidency and the principles that guided it, Energy and Environment issues, Federalism and the Constitution, Faith in the Public Square, and Educational choice issues for parents, students and teachers. Mrs. Dunlop also serves on a number of boards.

Her bachelor's degree is from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Alan P. Dye

Alan P. Dye is a partner with the Washington , D.C. law firm of Webster, Chamberlain & Bean. Prior to joining the firm, he was law clerk to a judge of the United States Tax Court. Mr. Dye is a member of the Committee on Exempt Organizations of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association and past Chairman of its Subcommittee on Trade Associations, as well as a member of the Election Law Committee of the Administrative Law Section.

He is also a member of the District of Columbia and Florida bars, a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, and a former member of the Council of the Legal Section of the American Society of Association Executives. In addition, he is a director and former Board Chair of the Cancer Research Foundation of America and the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Mr. Dye specializes in the representation of non-profit organizations. He is frequent lecturer at programs organized by ASAE and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others; co-author of the Association Legal Checklist, published by the Chamber, and the Tax Management Portfolio entitled Trade Associations, published by the Bureau of National Affairs; and Chairman of the Washington Non-Profit Legal and Tax Conference.

Mr. Dye has a degree in economics from Duke University , was graduated from the University of Florida School of Law in 1971, and was awarded a Masters of Law Degree (Taxation) from New York University in 1973.

Dr. Lewis Hodge

Dr. Hodge is retired professor of education at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville . He has enjoyed a uniquely diverse experience in public education. He has taught junior high school English and social studies in Dallas, Texas; served as an education and training officer, Air Training Command, USAF (during the Vietnam era); coordinated the Secondary Teaching Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, Research and Development Center; in addition to serving as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

As a university professor and consultant, he has teamed with others to evaluate a large school system (Memphis); develop curriculum at all grade levels in small, large, rural, suburban, and inner city schools; and implemented professional enhancements systems (state and local).

Additionally, Dr. Hodge has published numerous professional papers and journal articles on teacher education. He has been active in several professional organizations and honorary societies: the Association for Supervision and Curriculum and Development, the American Educational Research Association, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Delta Kappa. During the 1993-94 academic year, he lectured in Russia , Belarus , and the Ukraine at the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Education on topics related to establishing a new ethically based curriculum for Russian public education.

Lewis Hodge has been uniquely recognized throughout his career as an outstanding educator, underscored with honors such as a United States Air Force Commendation Medal, Outstanding Young Men of America Award, and the Governor's Outstanding Tennessean Award.

His educational background includes earning a B.A. degree in English from Lamar State University , a M.Ed. in secondary school administration at North Texas State University, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas.

Michelle Guillermin

Michelle Guillermin, now retired, served as the Chief Financial Officer of Dutko Worldwide, a bi-partisan public policy firm located in Washington , DC .  Before joining Dutko, she was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the 107th Senate as the Chief Financial Officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Her role was expanded to include the Chief Operating Officer duties which also included management of a $600 million grant portfolio supporting Americans within their local communities.

Ms. Guillermin worked with Congress and the Administration to change the laws governing the AmeriCorps program to address funding issues and presided over unprecedented growth in the funding appropriated by Congress.

Her professional background has been largely devoted to growing new or changing companies to ensure they achieve their fullest potential.  As Co-founder and President of the Guillermin Group, she assisted financial services organizations in the launch of new products, the development of new operations and the leveraging of all their resources to better serve their customers.

At The Prudential Bank, she was a key executive in the establishment of a remote banking environment and later developed and implemented new products to be offered to securities and insurance clients.

While she started her career in the Audit division of Ernst & Whinney (Ernst & Young), she transitioned into the Financial Services Consulting practice, implementing bank mergers and acquisitions nationwide.

Ms. Guillermin has a Bachelors of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia , achieved certification as a Certified Public Accountant and serves on philanthropic advisory boards, as well as the US Army War College Board of Visitors.

Dr. Kevin Ryan

Dr. Ryan is a professor emeritus at Boston University and the founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character. The Center's mission is to support elementary and secondary schools in efforts to aid children in acquiring good moral judgment and habits.

Dr. Ryan began his teaching career as a high school English teacher. Since entering the higher education profession with degrees from Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Toronto, Kevin has taught on the faculties of Harvard, the University of Chicago, the University of Lisbon, the Ohio Sate University and Boston University. He has written and edited twenty one books, focused primarily on teacher education and character education.

Dr. Ryan and the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character garnered national praise for writing the Character Education Manifesto which has been endorsed by fifty of the nation's most recognized educators, legislators, and business executives in America. Whenever the subject of character education comes up in the news, Dr. Ryan is one of the first persons the media calls for comment. He has appeared on Good Morning, America and The O'Reilly Factor and has been featured in articles in U.S. News & World Report, the New York Times, the Washington Times, and the Boston Herald. In addition, Kevin has served on the AAE Advisory Board since its inception.

Kevin has extensive experience in education project fundraising.

Gary Beckner

Chairman

Gary Beckner is a successful business executive with a vision for America's educational future. He knows first hand the important role a teacher has in the development of America's citizens. His background includes being a lifetime credentialed instructor with California's community colleges, authoring a college textbook, teaching courses in business ethics, and conducting seminars throughout the state.

Immediately after graduating from Florida State University with a B.S. degree in marketing in 1967, he began a career in business that led to management and part ownership of several insurance industry companies. In 1988 Gary began consulting work in insurance and marketing, while holding seats on the board of directors of several organizations.

In 1993, he contracted as a consultant for a Washington, D.C. based association management company. Over the next year, while working on an education project, and after surveying teachers across the nation, he became convinced there was a need for the Association of American Educators.

In 1994, Gary helped found the AAE, and its support foundation, as an alternative for teachers who were disenchanted with the nation's monopolistic teacher unions. He and a group of nationally recognized and respected educators came together to form this new organization because they thought the two unions were leading our public school enterprise in the wrong direction.

He has also served as the executive director of the Coalition of Independent Education Associations (CIEA). The coalition represents nearly 300,000 teachers in 18 separate independent, nonunion associations across the nation. They are united in their belief that educators should be free from compulsory membership, and should not be forced to join or otherwise pay dues to a labor union in order to teach. Gary is a frequent lecturer on the nonunion independent teachers association movement and has been featured or quoted in articles published in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, and the Investors Business Daily Review among others.

He was a participant, along with fellow AAEF Board Member, Dr. Kevin Ryan, at the White House Conference on Character and Community, hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.