Dive Brief:
- Massie Ritsch, the U.S. Department of Education's acting assistant secretary for communications and outreach, is leaving his position to serve as Teach for America's executive vice president of public affairs and engagement, according to a statement issued via email.
- Ritsch is the second communication chief to leave the department in the past two years.
- In 2012, Peter Cunningham left his job at the department to become executive director of Education Post, a site aimed at encouraging more "respectful" and "fact-based" discussions on ed reform.
Dive Insight:
Teach for America, where Ritsch is heading, has close ties with the Obama administration, specifically U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. In 2011, at the organization's 20th anniversary event in D.C., Duncan praised the work of corps members, saying the organization “made teaching cool again in low-income communities for a whole generation of talented college graduates.”