Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will join a panel of Iowa business executives on July 13 during an online panel discussion about improving the quality of the state’s schools. The hour-long panel is one of three roundtable discussions planned for Wednesday in preparation for the Iowa Education Summit on July 25-26.

Panelists for the executives’ roundtable, which begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday, will include:
    · John Bloomhall, president and CEO, Diamond V Mills Inc.
    · Clayton Jones, chairman, president and CEO, Rockwell Collins Inc.
    · Mary O’Keefe, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Principal Financial Group Inc.
    · Suku Radia, president and CEO, Bankers Trust Co.
    · Paul Schickler, president, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

Panel discussions with university and college presidents and teachers will also be held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The three hour-long discussions will be used “to gain a deeper understanding of changes needed to create world-class schools across the state,” the officials said in a press release. Linda Fandel, special assistant for education in the governor’s office, and Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass will moderate the panels.

The conversations will be live-streamed, and videos will be posted afterward. The governor and lieutenant governor will also host seven town hall meetings around Iowa to listen to Iowans’ ideas for improving education before the education summit.

Individuals who are interested in watching the discussions live may watch here:
To learn more about roundtable participants and the town hall meetings, go to: http://iowaeducation.iowa.gov/education-summit.