Ms. Brown Ruzzi has organized the National Center’s international benchmarking research over the last twenty years and produced many of the reports of that work. She served as Associate Director of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce’s during the two and one half years of its global research program, playing a leading role in organizing, supervising and analyzing that research, and also played a key role in organizing the work of the Commission itself including the Commission’s communications and public outreach efforts. Ms. Brown Ruzzi is an expert in international occupational skill standards, international education systems, and out-of-school youth with particular focus on standards-based curriculum and instruction for young people who have dropped out of school and are participating in alternative education programs. Ms. Brown Ruzzi returned to NCEE after serving as Vice President of Touchstones, a company that develops and distributes critical thinking and problem solving curriculum. During her career at the National Center she helped create the National Institute for School Leadership, the National Skill Standards Board, the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, the High Skills State Consortium, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, all initiatives to improve the academic performance of our nation’s students and strengthen the skills of our workforce. Prior to joining the National Center, Betsy worked on Capitol Hill.