Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta joins Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows Cohort 7

HARRISBURG, March 1 – Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., has been selected to participate in the seventh cohort of the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program, an elite group of national, senior-level policy leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and desire to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level.

The program is an initiative of The Hunt Institute, an education policy nonprofit founded in 2001 by former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt.

Kenyatta will join 29 other senior-level elected officials from across the country in Cohort 7, bringing the total number of Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows to 141, which includes former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (Cohort 2). Fellows represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the program currently boasts six sitting governors: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

"In order to ensure that our systems are supporting families, we have to strengthen our schools and classrooms to provide our children with a high-quality education,” Kenyatta said. “As I continue to fight on behalf of all working people, I look forward to learning from The Hunt Institute and engaging with this bipartisan group of policymakers from across the country."

The program is named for renowned education governors Jim Hunt and Tom Kean. The Fellows Advisory Board consists of 21 former governors who put education at the center of their agendas, learned from the practical experiences of other governors and utilized gubernatorial leadership as a lever to make systemic changes that resulted in improved student achievement.

Kenyatta said governors Hunt and Kean believe that education is the most important investment we can make to strengthen our nation’s economy and society. They recognize that senior, state-level policymakers have enormous influence over our complex education system, and that all too often these leaders are required to assume massive responsibilities with limited background in education policy. 

“Our vision is to provide policymakers with the core knowledge they need to promote effective education agendas,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, president & CEO of The Hunt Institute. “By investing in America’s policymakers, the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows is building a cadre of informed and motivated educational change agents with the necessary influence to transform state education systems and improve outcomes.”

In addition to his participation in the Hunt-Kean Fellows Leadership program, Kenyatta was also an invited speaker for a webinar hosted by the institute on Jan. 14, 2021. The webinar was part of the institute’s “Race and Education” series and focused on community activism and coalition building for educational equity.

More information about the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows, is available at https://hunt-institute.org/programs/hunt-kean-leadership-fellows-program/.

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About the Hunt Institute

An affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, The Hunt Institute is a recognized leader in the movement to transform public education. Marshaling expertise from a nationwide partner network since it was established in 2001, The Institute brings together people and resources that help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success. For more information, please visit: http://www.hunt-institute.org/