Scott Montgomery is the Deputy Executive Director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. In this capacity he is responsible for strategic planning; member services and board relations; and the daily operations of the Council, its programs, and staff. Previously, Montgomery served as director of state initiatives in the Council’s State Leadership Center. In that role, he was responsible for several state-based initiatives including the State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP). The project, funded by the Wallace Reader’s Digest Funds, serves states in developing policies designed to attract, sustain, and support education leaders, especially principals and superintendents. Montgomery joined the Council in 1999 as a senior project associate responsible for the Council’s Standards Services Initiative. The project served a total of nine states in reviewing, analyzing, and revising state content standards. Prior to joining the Council, he served as a middle school social studies and language arts teacher in the Alhambra Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona. He was a member of the district’s Reading Academy and his school’s School Improvement Council, and served as middle school team leader.