Former Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn Joins Whiteboard Advisors

Tennessee's 24th commissioner of education and former federal official brings national reach and deep expertise to education's leading market research and public affairs firm

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Whiteboard Advisors, an award-winning advisory and public affairs firm focused exclusively on the education and workforce sectors, today announced that Dr. Penny Schwinn, a recent federal appointee and former state commissioner of education, has joined the firm as a senior advisor. Dr. Schwinn joins former Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Seth Harris, former D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, and former New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges.

"Penny's experience leading a large, complex state system—and then helping shape federal education strategy—gives her a rare vantage point that will be invaluable to our clients and our team," said Anna Edwards, co-founder and chief advocacy officer at Whiteboard Advisors. "She is widely regarded as one of the nation's most dynamic and effective education leaders."

Dr. Schwinn served as Tennessee's commissioner of education from 2019 to 2023, where she led major statewide reforms including modernizing the state's school funding formula and spearheading a comprehensive literacy initiative, which drove record gains in early reading. She also launched the nation's first federally recognized teacher apprenticeship program.

"I've watched the Whiteboard Advisors team help mission-driven entrepreneurs and advocates navigate some of the most complex challenges in education to make a real impact on behalf of American children," said Dr. Schwinn. "They have a well-earned reputation as the go-to advisors for education's best-known investors, philanthropics, and entrepreneurs. I'm excited to join a team of creative and often divergent thinkers and doers."

For nearly two decades, Whiteboard Advisors has served as a trusted advisor to education executives, investors, and philanthropies navigating complex policy and market challenges through a multidisciplinary set of services.

• The firm's in-house strategy consulting group provides market research and transactional due diligence support to private equity investors and charitable foundations alike.
• Its marketing and communications group was named the top edtech PR agency by EdTech Digest and recently won a Shorty Impact Award for The Right to Read Social Impact Campaign.
• Whiteboard Media, which launched in 2023, now includes five distinct publications (including "The EdSheet," "What We're Reading," and "Whiteboard Notes") that reach more than 50,000 education inboxes every month.

A former classroom teacher, Dr. Schwinn previously served as chief deputy commissioner of the Texas Education Agency as well as chief accountability and performance officer for the Delaware Department of Education. Following her time in Tennessee, Dr. Schwinn served in a senior capacity at the U.S. Department of Education, where she contributed to federal efforts to support states in accelerating student recovery and strengthening K-12 systems nationwide.

Whiteboard Advisors is a unique strategy consulting, communications and advocacy firm on a mission to advance learning and economic mobility. Our work guides the nation's most respected investors, impactful philanthropies, companies, and nonprofit organizations. We are multidisciplinary by design: sitting at the intersection of business, policy, practice, and the media.

SOURCE WHITEBOARD ADVISORS