Most Influential: Mary Jean Ryan

Forward-thinking leader, Mary Jean Ryan, is redefining the worth of a high school diploma

Mary Jean Ryan [ Chair, Washington State Board of Education ]

For years, Washington state high school students could graduate with just 19 credits; in the near future, they’ll need 24, thanks in large part to the work of Ryan, who successfully shepherded “Core 24” through the state Legislature this past session, and in doing so, is redefining the worth of a high school diploma. The forward-thinking leader, who is also the director of the Office of Policy and Management for the City of Seattle and has spent more than a decade working on education issues, is staying focused on her goal to better prepare kids for college and work. “We need to aim higher for kids,” says Ryan, the daughter of two public school teachers. “The idea of college and work readiness is the foundational concept behind Core 24.” She attributes her success this year to “the groundswell of parents and people who are most affected on the ground by the presence or absence of quality schools.”