Carmel Martin

As the daughter of Irish immigrants, Martin grew up believing in the promise of education to achieve the American Dream. In her career, the 42-year-old New Jersey native has focused on ensuring equal educational opportunities for all. Between her work for the law firm of Hogan & Hartson, where she represented many large urban school systems, and her efforts on behalf of rural schools at the Justice Department, Martin has seen the many challenges facing the nation's schools. A graduate of Manhattan College, Martin earned her master's and law degrees at the University of Texas. She helped the left-leaning Center for American Progress set up its education program before logging three years as the top education aide to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Martin says her familiarity with the continuum of American education will serve her well as the department's top policy official. "My job here is to look across the broad spectrum of issues and think about education in a pro-active way."

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