Mayor Adrian Fenty

One of the youngest mayors of a major metropolitan U.S. city, rising political figure Adrian Fenty captured the nation's attention during his term as Mayor of the District of Columbia. Celebrated for his leadership in urban education reform, the public school system in the D.C. had been troubled for years with poor student test performance scores and graduation rates among the lowest in the nation. During his first months in office, he shocked the city—and the nation—by bringing the public school system under his administration's control. That bold move and the addition of Michelle Rhee as Chancellor of Schools have credited Fenty with putting the school system on the path to long-awaited improvements inside and outside the classroom. The results speak for themselves: student achievement at the secondary level rose 14 points in reading and 17 points in math since 2007, gains that are unprecedented in DC history and unparalleled nationwide. A dynamic and captivating speaker, at the podium Mayor Fenty discusses the necessity for nationwide education reform, rebuilding the economy, developing urban infrastructure and remodeling the political arena.