Matthew Gandal is Executive Vice President of Achieve, Inc. He joined Achieve in 1997, shortly after governors and business leaders created the organization. As executive vice president, he has senior responsibility for overseeing Achieve's major initiatives, including the American Diploma Project Network. He is responsible for the organization’s national advocacy strategy as well as its policy work in states. He played a lead role in organizing the 1999, 2001 and 2005 National Education Summits attended by governors, corporate CEOs and education leaders from across the country. He has extensive experience reviewing education policies in the United States and abroad. He has served on a variety of national and international commissions and has advised governors and legislative bodies in numerous states. He has also authored dozens of reports and articles on the quality of academic standards, assessments, curriculum and accountability in American schools. Prior to joining Achieve, he was assistant director for Educational Issues at the American Federation of Teachers and served as assistant director of the Educational Excellence Network.