Lisa Keegan was Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995 to 2001. As superintendent, she was the director of the Arizona Department of Education, the
state education agency, and oversaw the state's
charter school program. A strong advocate for parental choice in education, as a legislator Keegan was the prime sponsor of one of the most comprehensive
charter school law in the country. According to the
Phoenix Business Journal, "As a result of her efforts... Arizona has become one of the fastest-growing charter states in the nation." Both as a legislator and Arizona's chief educational official, Keegan helped enact
Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, which sets standards for math, reading, writing, and science students must meet for graduation. Keegan served on Governor
Jeb Bush's Restructuring Team for
Florida Department of Education and on California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Education Policy Transition Team. She was an education advisor to candidate
George W. Bush and a member of the administration transition team, and one of two candidates interviewed by then President-elect George W. Bush to be
Secretary of Education. In 2001, Keegan became the Chief Executive Officer of the Education Leaders Council (ELC), a non-profit, conservative education reform organization Keegan and other state school chiefs had founded in 1995. and federal procurement standards. A final audit, however, showed that ELC's financial and administrative management had actually undercharged the Department of Education and outstanding grant funding was ultimately paid to the ELC and its spin-off organization, Following the Leaders by the Department of Education. Keegan's original three-year contract was extended to September 2004, after which she became an independent education and public policy consultant. From 2001 to 2004, Keegan contributed to implementing education policies and programs which include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Following the Leaders School Implementation Program,
American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, In 2006, Keegan became a consultant to
Maricopa County,
Arizona and eventually assistant county manager for community solutions and innovation. She left her job in May 2008 to join the McCain presidential campaign as education policy advisor. In 2022 Arizona Governor
Doug Ducey named Keegan to "lead the ($100 million) AZ OnTrack Summer Camp ... initiative to overcome learning loss that occurred during the pandemic." She was appointed to be the "point person for the eight-week summer camp program, which will provide students with a positive, innovative atmosphere where they can get caught up." == Personal background ==