Hawaii Rep. Roy Takumi, chair of the House education committee, just assumed a big role in national education reform. 

He was recently elected as vice chair of the Education Commission of the States, a nonpartisan education policy clearinghouse. 

Takumi’s election was announced at the commission’s recent education policy forum in Atlanta. His term lasts two years.

Other top officers include Chair Brian Sandoval, governor of Nevada, and Treasurer Melody Schopp, South Dakota’s education secretary. 

The commission was created in 1965 when the states got together and committed themselves to tackling tough education problems. The organization offers a vessel through which state policymakers and other education leaders exchange information with the objective of improving public education. It also produces research, analysis and technical assistance. 

Photo: Rep. Roy Takumi has chaired the House education committee since 2003. (Courtesy of Hawaii House of Representatives)

— Alia Wong