Who's Got the Answer?

Prominent national figures in labor relations will discuss conflict and collaborative efforts in education reform beginning at 4:30 p.m. today in 305 Ives Hall.

The public is invited to "Who's Got the Answer? Conflict, Creativity and Collaboration in Education Reform."

Panelists, including two Cornell alums, are:

• Randi Weingarten ILR '80, president of the American Federation of Teachers
• Charles P. Rose, former general counsel, U.S. Department of Education
• George Cohen A&S '55, Law '57, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, and ILR's Jean T. McKelvey Visiting Neutral

Weingarten was elected president of the 1.5 million-member American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, in 2008.

For 12 years, she was president of the United Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2, representing approximately 200,000 educators and others in the New York City public school system.

Rose, during the President Barack Obama administration, served as the chief legal officer for the U.S. Department of Education and as the legal adviser to the secretary of education.

Before his federal appointment, he was in private practice. He represented school districts, municipalities and other public employers in Illinois on matters of education law, labor and employment law, labor relations and collective bargaining.

Cohen, sworn in as director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in 2009, has mediated disputes for the Major League Soccer, the National Football League, the Federal Aviation Administration, the American Red Cross and others.

Public education reform through labor-management collaboration to advance student achievement has been a focus of Cohen's work as director.