Dr. Gary Ritter is the dean of the School of Education at Saint Louis University. Before joining SLU, Gary was a professor of education policy and holder of the 21st Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. His work with Arkansas school leaders and policymakers highlighted the great need for effective teachers in economically disadvantaged areas; as a result, along with then-Dean Thomas Smith and Benton Brown (ATC’s first executive director), Gary founded the Arkansas Teacher Corps in 2012 and served in an advisory role as Faculty Director until 2018. He earned a B.A. in finance from John Carroll University, M.A. in social policy from the University of Manchester, M.A in public policy and management from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.