Dr. Sharon Robinson

Retired President and Chief Executive Officer
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)

Board Officer: Corporate Secretary

Sharon Robinson, Ed.D, served as AACTE’s president and CEO from 2005 to 2017. In selecting Dr. Robinson, AACTE’s board of directors acknowledged her strong commitment to high-quality teaching, rigorous scholarship, and diversity in the nation’s teaching workforce. A lifelong civil rights activist, Dr. Robinson has waged a personal crusade to realize the nation’s moral and professional responsibility to educate and maximize the potential of minority and disabled students. Dr. Robinson was formerly president of the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) Educational Policy Leadership Institute.

While at ETS, she also served as senior vice president and chief operating officer, and as vice president for teaching and learning and for state and federal relations. Before joining ETS, Dr. Robinson was assistant secretary of education with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement (now the Institute of Education Sciences). She also held a variety of leadership positions at the National Education Association, including director of the National Center for Innovation, NEA’s research and development arm. Dr. Robinson received her doctorate in educational administration and supervision from the University of Kentucky, where she also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 2002, she completed the renowned Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. She serves on the board of trustees for Alfred Harcourt Foundation, and on the board of directors for the Center for Teaching Quality, the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, and Jobs for America’s Graduates. She is past chair of the Diversity Issues in Measurement Committee, National Council for Measurement in Education. Dr. Robinson’s private business interests include service on the board of directors for Corinthian Colleges, Inc., a publically traded provider of post-secondary educational services; Management & Training Corporation, which operates Job Corps centers and correctional facilities; and Sable Uplink Communications, a company that operates independent satellite uplink communication trucks.

Among her many awards are an honorary doctorate from the University of Louisville, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kentucky, the Award of Appreciation from the National Head Start Association, the Founders Award from the National Commission for African American Education, the Teacher for America Award from the Rockefeller Foundation-supported Recruiting New Teachers Inc., and the Woman of Distinction Award from Girl Scouts.