At its Annual Conference First General Session, the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) announced the hiring of school finance and education policy expert Amanda Brownson as its Associate Executive Director of Governmental Relations. The position is currently filled by Tom Canby, who announced his retirement effective the end of May.
For more than a decade Brownson has presented at TASBO events beginning with her time with Moak, Casey & Associates, who partner with TASBO to bring legislative information services to TASBO members. Brownson provided analysis and updates related to school finance, legislative impact and school finance litigation. After her tenure at Moak, Casey & Associates, Brownson served as the Director of State Funding for the Texas Education Agency and, more recently, the Director of Research and Policy for Raise Your Hand Texas.
“We could not be more pleased to bring someone with Amanda Brownson’s experience to our team,” said TASBO Executive Director Tracy Ginsburg. “Amanda has served as a valuable resource to our members and has a reputation around the state for being a reliable subject-matter expert on school finance and education policy.”
Brownson received a B.A. in Economics, a Master’s in Educational Administration and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning – all from the University of Texas at Austin. Her doctoral dissertation was on school finance reform in post-Edgewood Texas, examining revenue equity and implications for student performance.
In her new position, Brownson will shadow TASBO’s Tom Canby until June 1st. Canby has served TASBO for more than 12 years. Prior to TASBO, Canby spent 27 years at the Texas Education Agency, serving as the Chief of the TEA School Financial Audits Division from 1991 to 2005. In addition to leading TASBO’s governmental relations strategy, Brownson will administer the association’s work with Forecast5 Analytics, who provide data analytics to Texas schools.