William D. “Bill” Hansen has spent his entire career working at the intersection of education and the workforce where he has led various organizations in government, business, social impact investing, and the non-profit and policy sectors. He currently serves as the President and CEO of Building Hope, a non-profit leader in supporting education and public charter schools in underserved communities. He also serves as General Partner for Green Street Impact Partners which invests in innovative education solutions.
A national leader in the education sector, Mr. Hansen served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education from 2001-2003, acting as the department’s chief operating officer and managing 5,000 employees and a $100 billion annual budget. He played a key role in developing and implementing landmark legislation that enhanced accountability in education and helped the Education Department earn its first-ever independent clean financial audit. Prior to serving as Deputy Secretary, he held other key leadership positions at the Department of Education, including assistant secretary for management and budget and chief financial officer.
Mr. Hansen’s private sector experience includes service as president and chairman of both Scantron Corporation and Global Scholar, providers of assessment and survey solutions to education, commercial and government organizations internationally. He also co-founded, with former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige, an education-related consulting firm.
Additionally, he was senior vice president and managing director of the state and local solutions education services business for Affiliated Computer Services, a Fortune 500 company, and was president of the Education Finance Council, a trade association representing state-based student loan finance organizations.
He was a member of four state education commissions in the Commonwealth of Virginia, helping to improve education and workforce opportunities for students. He also was appointed as a commissioner on the National Commission on the Cost of Education and served as an advisory board member both for the University of Virginia Curry School of Education and Southern Virginia University.
Nonprofit organizations on which boards he has served include The Education Sector, Reading Is Fundamental, the National Guard Youth Foundation, and ThanksUSA.
Hansen earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Economics from George Mason University and was later recognized as a distinguished alumnus by his alma mater.
