Jim Nelson

A former state and district education chief, Jim Nelson currently provides advice and counsel to the Texas-based law firm of Thompson & Horton LLP, supporting clients ranging from Texas Instruments, AVID, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and the Texas Association of School Boards. Jim’s legal background, deep knowledge of K-12 education policy and leadership, and his success – over many years – navigating the politics of school reform, provide a unique and vital perspective on StandardsWork’s Board. Jim’s career in K-12 education began when he was board member at Ector County Independent School District in Odessa, Texas in 1984. This lead to serving as the president of the Texas Association of School Boards, being appointed by then-Governor George W. Bush to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), and finally being appointed Texas Commissioner of Education by Governor Bush in 1999. One of the largest state education agencies in the country, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has over 800 employees who worked to implement policy for some 1,100 school districts. Jim was Commissioner during a period of major changes in the state’s school accountability system, including the development of new assessments for grades 3-11. Jim’s deep work in K-12 education didn’t stop with being a state chief. He went on to serve as a Senior Vice President at Voyager Expanded Learning Systems; did a tour in Baghdad Iraq at the request of the White House and Department of Defense, serving as Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Education to assist with the rebuilding of the Iraqi school system in 2003; was Superintendent of the Richardson Independent School District; and, perhaps most significantly, served seven years as Chief Executive Officer of AVID, a global nonprofit that helps prepare students for postsecondary education and is one of the leading providers of professional development for educators in the US. AVID grew significantly in scope and impact during Jim’s tenure. Jim earned a degree of Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington and a JD from the Texas Tech University School of Law. He and his wife Karen have three adult sons, six grandsons, and one beautiful granddaughter whom they happily babysit whenever possible.