The conference keynote speaker will be John Garcia, senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Education. Formerly the deputy of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, Garcia also served as president of its philanthropic arm, the Greater LA Education Foundation. Previously, he was the senior program officer for education at the California Community Foundation. Garcia has served as a consultant for the National Governors Association, Jobs for the Future and the Southern Regional Education Board. He also was a policy analyst for the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics and resident fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Garcia began his career in education as a school counselor and later served as a director for the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.