Tracy R. Justesen, who was elected Chair in April 2008, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Southern Utah University, a Master’s in Special Education from Utah State University, a J.D. degree from Drake University Law School, and an LL.M in International Law from George Washington University. Since then, Justesen has been Technical Advisor to the President’s Commission on Special Education; Associate Director for the Domestic Policy Council at the White House; the U.S. delegate-adviser to the U.N. Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Attorney-Advisor in the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division; and Deputy Director for the Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. In November 2007 President Bush appointed Justesen Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Justesen’s twin brother, Troy R. Justesen, began his career in the Department of Education in 2000, working as an education policy analyst in the Office of Special Education Programs in OSERS. In May 2006, Troy was appointed Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education by President Bush.