Joseph A. Aguerrebere Jr., is president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Previously, he was deputy director in the Knowledge, Creativity, and Freedom Program at the Ford Foundation where he focused on the development of quality teachers and school system leaders.

Aguerrebere began his education career as a high school teacher in southern California and ultimately worked as an assistant principal, principal, and central office administrator in five diverse school systems.

He later served as professor of educational administration at California State University, Dominguez Hills. While there, Aguerrebere was the director of the Future Teacher Institute, and was the national director of the Consortium for Minorities in Teaching Careers.

Born in East Los Angeles, CA, Aguerrebere graduated from Garfield High School (made famous by the movie Stand and Deliver), and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, and master’s and doctorate degrees in educational administration at the University of Southern California.