Kent McGuire is the Program Director of Education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where he leads the investments of the foundation’s teaching and learning and open educational resources strategies. Before joining Hewlett, he served as the President and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation. He was previously the Dean of the College of Education and a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Temple University. McGuire has also held roles at the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Lilly Endowment. He served as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education from 1998 to 2001.

McGuire earned his PhD in Public Administration from the University of Colorado; an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University; and a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan. He also serves on the boards of the Wallace Foundation; Teachers College, Columbia University; the Success for All Foundation; The Philanthropic Collaborative for Education; and the Institute for Citizens and Scholars.