Nationally recognized education policy consultant Todd Webster returned to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as chief of staff in November. Webster worked in a variety of roles at TEA under former commissioners Mike Moses and Jim Nelson before becoming the senior education policy advisor to Governor Rick Perry in 2003. After three years as a consultant and program advisor to several national education policy organizations, he fills a chief of staff position that has not been utilized in recent years. His experience at the national level will be valuable to TEA as the agency supports the efforts by the Office of the Governor to prepare the state’s application for the U S Department of Education’s Race to the Top funding. The addition of Webster and former DIR executive director Brian Rawson to the TEA senior management team strengthens that agency’s expertise and leadership capabilities.