- Alliance for Decision Education launches a national Policymaker Fellowship to help strengthen state and district leaders’ decision-making skills and explore how Decision Education can be brought to K–12 classrooms.
- Inaugural cohort includes education leaders from Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah.
- The fellowship provides a nonpartisan forum for leadership development, mentorship, and cross-state peer collaboration.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Alliance for Decision Education, a national nonprofit leading the effort to integrate decision-making skills into K–12 education, today announced the launch of its Policymaker Fellowship, a new initiative designed to equip influential state and district leaders from across the political spectrum with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to bring Decision Education to classrooms across the country.
The Policymaker Fellowship brings together mid- and senior-level K–12 leaders to strengthen their own decision-making skills and engage in thoughtful dialogue about how decision-making competencies are being introduced in schools nationwide. The inaugural cohort will examine research, review examples of classroom practice and state-level initiatives, and exchange ideas with peers from geographically and politically diverse states.
Through expert-led learning, mentorship, and peer collaboration, Policymaker Fellows will reflect on how decision-making skills connect to student learning, educator practice, and existing state and local priorities. The program is designed as a nonpartisan forum for leadership development, cross-state learning, and professional exchange.
Decision Education is the teaching and learning of skillful judgment formation and decision-making. It teaches students how to think—not what to think. Just like literacy, numeracy, and leadership, applied decision-making skills can be learned and developed over time. Research suggests these skills are increasingly important in a rapidly changing world, including one shaped by emerging technologies and evolving workforce demands. The Policymaker Fellowship provides leaders with structured opportunities to engage with research, see policy models and classroom practices, and consider how Decision Education may inform conversations within their own governance contexts.
“Across the country, there’s growing recognition that students need stronger decision-making skills to thrive,” said David Samuelson, Executive Director of the Alliance for Decision Education. “The Policymaker Fellowship offers education leaders a collaborative space to learn from one another, explore emerging research, and deepen their leadership capacity in support of student readiness.”
The inaugural cohort includes education leaders from Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah, representing a range of roles and perspectives across state legislatures, departments of education, and state boards. Meet this year’s cohort of Policymaker Fellows:
Hawaii
- Rep. Justin Woodson, Chair of the House Committee on Education, Hawaii State Legislature, has represented Central Maui since 2013 and has led major initiatives to expand early learning, strengthen STEM education, and increase access to higher education.
- Christine Kubota serves as Office Manager to the Chair of the Hawaii House Committee on Education and is a former educator with classroom and policy experience.
Tennessee
- Dr. KC Alvarado, MBA, Ed.D., is an education and workforce development leader with experience spanning K–12 systems, postsecondary education, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership.
Utah
- Dr. Leah Voorhies serves as Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement at the Utah State Board of Education and is the State Director of Special Education, overseeing programs that support student learning and well-being statewide.
- Dr. Elisse Newey is Deputy Superintendent of Policy at the Utah State Board of Education, where she leads policy development and legislative engagement.
- Darin Nielsen is Assistant Superintendent of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
For more information about the Policymaker Fellowship, click here.
About the Alliance for Decision Education
The Alliance for Decision Education (the Alliance) is a national nonprofit and field builder with the mission of improving lives by empowering students with essential skills and dispositions for making better decisions. Co-founded by bestselling author, speaker, and consultant in decision-making Annie Duke, Ph.D., the Alliance partners with teachers, researchers, academic and business leaders, families, and community members to raise awareness and lead the growing call to have Decision Education taught in schools across the country. We believe that better decisions lead to better lives and a better society.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd6ef643-6f99-40bf-9bb0-26b70d1423c9