René Islas joined B&D Consulting after several years of experience in education public policy, working in the government and nonprofit sectors. He is recognized on Capitol Hill and in advocacy communities as an expert in elementary and secondary education. Mr. Islas leads B&D Consulting’s education services team, bringing a deep understanding of the complexities of the legislative process. Previously, Mr. Islas served as chief of staff in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. While there, he managed the overall operations, policy development, and administration of its programs including the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Mr. Islas advised on the implementation of NCLB and oversaw the department’s compliance monitoring of the highly qualified teacher provisions of NCLB. Mr. Islas has also represented the U.S. Department of Education on issues of teacher quality and working with coalitions of state government education agencies in an effort to address teacher supply and demand.