Terry Peterson is the director of the Afterschool and Community Learning Network. He also holds the position of Senior Fellow for Policy and Partnerships at the College of Charleston. Peterson serves on the executive committee of the National Center for Summer Learning at John Hopkins University, the Council for Corporate and School Partnerships, and the Mayor of Charleston's School Reform Committee. He is involved in international education efforts, most recently in Argentina, Mongolia, Brazil, Northern Ireland, South Korea and Denmark.

Peterson served as the chief education advisor to the United States Secretary of Education for eight years. At the U.S. Department of Education, he helped develop nationwide education improvement strategies, such as the Advanced Placement, E-Rate, 21st Century Community Learning Center, and teacher quality initiatives. He co-founded International Education Day, the Partnership for Family Involvement, America Goes Back to School, the Pathways to College Network and the Arts Education Partnership. Prior to his tenure in Washington, Peterson served as the chief education advisor to Governor Richard Riley in South Carolina, where he helped design, enact, fund and evaluate one of the most comprehensive and successful K-12 education improvement packages in the nation.

He was recently honored with a leadership award from the National Community Education Association and the distinguished alumni award from the University of South Carolina. Peterson holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and education from the University of Wisconsin, and a master's degree and doctorate from the University of South Carolina, with an emphasis in research, evaluation, and statistics.