Thomas B. Fordham Institute

The Institute's eponym was a businessman and civic leader in Dayton, Ohio. His widow, Thelma Fordham Pruett, established the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 1959 to support a wide range of causes in the Dayton area. In 1997, following the death of Pruett, the Foundation was relaunched, with a narrowed focus on education. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute joined the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 2002. In 2013, the Associated Press described the organization as "conservative-leaning." == Fordham-National ==

The headquarters of the think-tank operations are located in Washington, D.C. Led by Chester E. Finn Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli, Fordham publishes and supports research on K-12 education across the nation. Additionally, Fordham staff and board members remain involved in organizations that support and develop quality schools. == Fordham-Ohio ==

Fordham-Ohio publishes research and does policy work in the Columbus office and serves as a community school sponsor in its Dayton office. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation was approved in 2004 by the Ohio Department of Education—making it the first nonprofit organization in Ohio to acquire such a responsibility. == Board of trustees ==

Current :Bruno V. Manno - Senior Advisor, Progressive Policy Institute :Chester E. Finn Jr. - Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus, Thomas B. Fordham Institute :Thomas A. Holton, Esq. - Former Counsel to the Firm, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur :Michael W. Kelly - President and CEO, Central Park Credit Bank :Michael J. Petrilli - President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute :Ian Rowe - Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute :Stefanie Sanford - President, Civic Ventures at Alithi Consulting and Humanitae Philanthropy Advisors :Caprice Young - CEO and Superintendent, Navigator Schools Emeritus :Stephen D. Dackin - Former Superintendent of School and Community Partnerships, Columbus State Community College :David P. Driscoll - Former Commissioner of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts :Chester E. Finn, Esq. (1918-2007) - Former Senior Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur :Craig Kennedy - Senior Fellow, Member of the Editorial Board, and Trustee at American Purpose; Former President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States :Bruce Kovner - Founder and Co-Chairman of The Kovner Foundation; Founder and Former Chairman of Caxton Associates :Rod Paige - Former U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005) :David H. Ponitz - CEO of David H. Ponitz Consultants; Former President of Sinclair Community College :Diane Ravitch - Founder and President of the Network for Public Education ==References==