Peyser, James (Jim) A.

Official Record

• Year Started Current Position 2015
• Years in Current Position 12
• Job Description As Secretary of Education, Jim Peyser directs the Executive Office of Education which is responsible for early education, K-12, and higher education in Massachusetts. Secretary Peyser sits on each of the boards governing the Commonwealth’s education agencies – Department of Early Education and Care, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Department of Higher Education as well as the University of Massachusetts system. In this role, he develops education policies and priorities on behalf of the Governor and coordinates and supports the education agencies.

Personal Information

• Date of Birth 12/10
• Place of Birth Irvington, NY
• Town of Residence Milton
• Marital Status Mindy D'Arbeloff
• Children 2

Education & Career

• Education
  • Colgate University (BA)
  • Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School (Tufts University) (MALD)
• Previous Employment
  • Prior to his appointment as Secretary, he served as the Managing Director at NewSchools Venture Fund, a non-profit grant-making firm that seeks to transform public education in high-need urban communities by supporting innovative education entrepreneurs. From 1999 through 2006, Jim served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education. Prior to joining NewSchools, Secretary Peyser was Education Advisor to Governors Bill Weld, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney, where he helped shape state policy regarding standards and assessments, school accountability, and charter schools. In 1995, he served as Under Secretary of Education and Special Assistant to the Governor Weld for Charter Schools. He previously spent seven years as Executive Director of the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, where he helped to launch the Massachusetts Charter School Resource Center, which supported the development of the state’s first charter schools. Before joining Pioneer Secretary Peyser held various positions at Teradyne, Inc. in Boston, an electronic test equipment manufacturer.