Jane West is vice president of government and external relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). She directs the department of government and external relations, which includes communications and public affairs, federal education policy, membership development, and AACTE’s relations with its state chapters. Dr. West is a former teacher, education administrator, Parent Teacher Association officer, researcher, and university faculty member. As a founder and principal of Washington Partners, LLC, she provided government relations services to a range of national education organizations. Dr. West served as senior policy analyst for the Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic under President Reagan and was staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy under the leadership of U.S. Senator Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R-CT). In that capacity she shepherded the reauthorization of several laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and the Developmental Disabilities Act. Dr. West received her BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara, her MA from Columbia University and her PhD from the University of Maryland.