John Danielson is an accomplished nationally and internationally respected executive who believed early in his 25-year career that the private sector, working closely with public entities, had an important role to play in the creation of improved education systems and technologies for all children. Along with former United States Secretary of Education Rod Paige, John co-founded the Chartwell Education Group, LLC, an international education-consulting firm headquartered in New York City with offices in Washington, D.C. and London. Chartwell has successfully executed a variety of global education projects in Europe, India and South America with a particular expertise in Ukraine, Brazil, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan where John has worked extensively. In 2009 Chartwell was restructured into the Chartwell Hamilton Group LLC; John serves as its Chairman and Managing Director. From 1995 through 2001, John co-founded an education company serving the academic and behavioral needs of at-risk middle and high school students as a partner with many of the nation’s largest urban school systems, demonstrating substantial student academic growth, considerable reductions in district-wide crime rates, endorsed by teacher’s unions, Dr. Dorothy Height and the National Council for Negro Women.
John’s national education experience began when he served in several different senior roles for former United States Secretary of Education and current United States Senator Lamar Alexander (1990-1995). He was appointed Chief of Staff at the United States Department of Education by President George W. Bush in 2001 and earned a reputation for his ability to adapt innovative business strategies and tactics to resolve issues faced by the public education sector as well as playing a lead role in expanding the Department's international profile. He later returned to help U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan by serving as a peer reviewer in all four of the landmark Race to the Top state and district competitions.
Currently John provides thought-leadership, advice and counsel across the domestic and international education sectors. Specifically, John works with a number of global private equity firms in their education investment analysis leading to board service as an independent director in a range of companies including as Chairman of the Board for Education Management Company (Pittsburgh), member of the boards of Declara (Palo Alto), The University of the Potomac (Washington), and as a Senior Advisor to American Prison Data Systems (New York) and Speakaboos (New York). In addition, John serves on the non-profit advisory boards of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy in Los Angeles, StandardsWork in Washington, DC, and the Afterschool Alliance also in Washington, DC. Previously, at the appointment of HRH Prince Edward, John served as Vice President of the Board of the US Duke of Edinburgh Awards. In December 2015, John was selected as an Honorary Chair of the 60th Anniversary commemoration of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott and in the spring of this year John will receive the prestigious Spirit of Rosa Parks Award for his decades of work with disadvantaged children across the United States.
John is a native of Houston, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin (BBA). He has three children and resides in Washington, DC.
