Governor Schweitzer Announces Jan Lombardi as Montana Education Policy Advisor

Today Governor Brian Schweitzer announced the appointment of Jan
Lombardi as Education Policy Advisor.

"I am honored to have Jan Lombardi accept this position," said Governor Brian
Schweitzer. "Educational excellence is at the heart of strengthening the future
for Montana families and their economic vitality. I’m confident Jan will help us
move in the right direction."

The Board of Education Staff position was requested by Governor Martz. As
Education Policy Advisor, Lombardi will provide direction, coordination and
follow-through on Board of Education policies by assisting the Governor, who
serves as the chairman of the Board of Education.

Jan Lombardi, 47, brings more than 25 years of diverse experience in government,
nonprofits, and the business sector. Lombardi started her career in banking and
finance for large regional banks in Maryland. After returning to Montana in
1988, Lombardi worked in the nonprofit sector, focusing on public health and
community education. She currently is exempt staff to State Superintendent Linda
McCulloch and facilitates Education Projects for the Office of Public
Instruction. Lombardi is active in the Helena community: She serves as Vice
Chair of the elected Helena Citizens Council; is a member of the Helena City
Commission’s Youth Advisory Council; and is a steering committee member of Youth
Connections, a community coalition sponsored by the Helena School District to
prevent drugs and alcohol use. She has been very involved in her children’s
education, volunteering as chairman of Hawthorne Elementary School Parent
Council, and as a member of the Helena School District’s Health Curriculum
Committee, High School Task Force, and Strategic Planning Curriculum Delivery
Committee. She is a graduate of the Montana Educators Consensus Institute.
Lombardi graduated from Dulaney High School in Maryland and received her
bachelors’ degree from Newcomb College, Tulane University. Jan is married to
Bill and they have two children — Jill, a sophomore at Pomona College, and Ray,
a junior at Helena High School.

"I’m honored to work with Governor Schweitzer and the Board of Education to
ensure that all Montanans have access to excellent education and can learn all
their lives," Lombardi said. "As I tell my children, we’re students for life,
and must be responsive to the world around us. Education makes our families and
community strong."

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Sarah J. Elliott
Communications Director
Governor Brian Schweitzer
406-444-9725
[email protected]