Dr. Susan Zelman

Senior Vice President, Chief Advisor and System Consultant for Education Policy

Dr. Susan Zelman joined CPB as senior vice president for Education and Children’s Content in September 2008. In October, 2009, she was promoted to chief advisor and system consultant for education policy. In this role, she is responsible for engaging with education leaders at the state and national level on behalf of the public broadcasting system.

Previously, Dr. Zelman was the superintendent of Public Instruction with the Ohio Department of Education. During that time, she advanced Ohio’s educational system from midway to sixth among all 50 states, according to Education Week, and average student scores on state tests increased as well as scores on the SAT and ACT.

The Goldman Sachs Foundation recently named Ohio a winner of its Prize for Excellence in International Education, citing innovative programs which prepare Ohio students for the 21st century global marketplace. For her impressive work, Gannett Newspapers named Dr. Zelman one of the 10 most powerful and influential women in Ohio state government.

Dr. Zelman has held executive posts at the Missouri and Massachusetts departments of Education and chaired the Department of Education at Emmanuel College in Boston. She held a five-year appointment with the Education Technology Center of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was the recipient of the National Science Research Opportunity Award for Women through Columbia Teachers College.

She holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Michigan and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards.