Conference Keynote Speakers
The Georgia Charter Schools Association is excited to welcome Rick Hess as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Georgia Charter Schools Conference. Based on feedback from schools and stakeholders, we are shifting the focus of this year’s keynote presentation to address the current developments in federal education policy and what they could mean for states and schools.
Hess, a nationally recognized education policy expert, will deliver his address on Tuesday, March 11, at 11:15 a.m. As the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Hess is at the forefront of national education policy discussions. In his keynote speech, he will provide an expert’s analysis of the federal education landscape and its implications for education stakeholders, particularly in light of potential changes under the Trump administration. Hess will cover topics such as: Will the U.S. Department of Education actually be eliminated? If so, what will happen to Title I and Special Education funding and requirements? With the possibility of significant shifts in federal oversight, Hess will outline the key questions charter schools should be asking their authorizers and the Georgia Department of Education to ensure preparedness for any changes in funding and oversight.
Hess’s address promises to be a must-attend session for school leaders, policymakers, and educators seeking clarity in a rapidly evolving education environment. To make this keynote address as interactive as possible, please submit your questions in advance here.
In addition to his work at AEI, Hess is an executive editor of Education Next, a contributing editor to National Review, founder of AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network, and author of Education Week’s iconic blog “Rick Hess Straight Up” and Education Next’s popular “Old School with Rick Hess.” His work has appeared in scholarly outlets including Urban Affairs Review, Harvard Educational Review, and Social Science Quarterly, and in popular outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, and The New York Times. His books include Getting Education Right, The Great School Rethink, Letters to a Young Education Reformer, The Same Thing Over and Over, and A Search for Common Ground. He started his career as a high school social studies teacher and has also taught education and policy at Harvard, Georgetown, Rice, Johns Hopkins, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia. He holds an MA and a PhD in government and a MEd in teaching and curriculum from Harvard University.
Paula W. Smith
ValuTeachers
President and Founder
Tuesday, March 11 – Lunch Keynote Speaker
Paula Smith is the President and Founder of ValuTeachers established 25 years ago. ValuTeachers is a retirement planning firm serving non-profit and K-12 Public School Systems across America. Her company’s Mission is to Help Educators Retire with Financial Dignity. The Financial Services Industry dramatically underserves the educational sector in America. Paula seeks to transform that deficit.
Paula built ValuTeachers from start-up to the most dominant independent company in the education market space. She has led her company to provide retirement education coupled with a safe, competitive savings plan for families facing America’s Retirement Crisis. ValuTeachers has educated millions of teachers and school employees about the value of a qualified retirement supplement through a 403b/457 plan approved exclusively for educators. Paula has secured contracts with over 3,500 school districts and charter schools nationally to provide education and retirement services through those employers. The savings and retirement deficit for the education market is over 75% which is a national travesty and one that ValuTeachers hopes to change.
Paula started her career as a classroom teacher and advanced her degrees and her career to all levels of education. Her final 15-year tenure as educator was spent as a college professor in the University of Georgia System. After realizing the deficit she and her peers were experiencing from the lack of education about retirement services, she committed to “right that wrong”. She started ValuTeachers with the commitment to remediate that deficit for educators across America.
A very unique focus of her company is helping women. Women are predominantly teachers and caretakers for their families, generationally. She believes that their financial and retirement position needs to be strengthened. Paula has also trained many educators from the classroom to become retirement specialists in the industry and to deliver retirement solutions to their peers. This focus has created significant industry success for ValuTeachers over the span of her 45-year career. She has established a reputation as the leading expert for qualified retirement plans for educators in America.
Paula completed her education for every degree at the University of Georgia and is licensed to represent securities and annuities for retirement solutions.
