Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has become a distinguished senior fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy, according to a Friday News Office statement.

Duncan served as Secretary of Education in the Obama administration from 2009–2015 and chief executive of Chicago Public Schools from 2001–2009. He is a graduate of the UChicago Lab Schools, and his father taught psychology at the University. He lives in Hyde Park and is currently a managing partner of Emerson Collective, which works on issues ranging from education to immigration.

As a Harris fellow, Duncan will act as a special adviser to the Harris School’s dean and will plan events at the Harris School.

“The University of Chicago and Harris are internationally recognized leaders in education and outcomes-focused research, which are passion points for me,” Duncan told the News Office. “I am pleased to join the UChicago community, with its outstanding reputation for debate and inquiry—it certainly played an important role in shaping my education as a child.”