Currently executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Gene Wilhoit began his career as a social studies teacher in Ohio and Indiana. He served as a program director in the Indiana Department of Education, an administrator in Kanawha County, West Virginia, and a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Education before becoming executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) from 1986–1993. From 1994–2006, Mr. Wilhoit served as director of the Arkansas Department of Education and as deputy commissioner and commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education. In those positions, he shepherded finance reform, led equity initiatives, designed and implemented assessment and accountability systems, advanced nationally recognized preschool and technology programs, and reorganized state agencies to focus on service and support. Mr. Wilhoit holds degrees from Georgetown College and Indiana University. He is a member of numerous education organizations, has served on national and state commissions, and has written and spoken on a host of education issues.