Rep. Rush Holt to Address Ranney on Leadership and Innovation

Representative Rush Holt will be the keynote speaker at Ranney School’s Fall Convocation on October 22, 2012. You can view the program for this event here. The speech will focus on the themes of leadership, innovation and the importance of STEM education.

The Honors Convocation is a cherished tradition at Ranney. It features a ceremony in which the members of the Senior Class are “Vested”—a symbol of their leadership. Featured speakers are Head of School, Dr. Lawrence S. Sykoff, Ed.D, the keynote speaker, Rep. Holt and student leaders. In past years, Ranney School has hosted keynote speakers such as Andrew Revkin, the highly-regarded New York Times science writer; U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky; Steve McCurry, the National Geographic photographer who captured the iconic “Afghan Girl” photograph, and author and ethicist Bruce Weinstein.

Ranney School is honored to have as its keynote speaker Rep. Holt, who has represented Central New Jersey in Congress since 1999. Holt is a leading scientist, researcher, educator, entrepreneur and public servant. He earned a B.A. in Physics from Carlton College in Minnesota, and received his Master’s and Ph.D. from New York University. He has held positions as a teacher, Congressional Science Fellow, arms control expert at the U.S. State Department where he monitored the nuclear programs of countries, and as the Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the largest research facility of Princeton University and the largest center for research in alternative energy in New Jersey. The New Jersey Congressman has even been a five-time winner on the television show, “Jeopardy” and has his own patent for an innovative device in solar energy.

In Congress, Rep. Holt serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Natural Resources, where he serves as a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, which works to develop long-term strategies to decrease the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. He serves on the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century and also sits on several Congressional and non-Congressional caucuses. Rep. Holt has been a pioneering advocate for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education.

Head of School Dr. Sykoff observed, “This is a significant intellectual discussion for Ranney School students, and we are honored to have Rep. Holt here – a person who has used his skills, passions, and leadership to accomplish many great things. Having Rep. Holt speak to Ranney students at a critical time when they approach their final years of high school will afford them a unique opportunity to hear inspirational words from a figure who has done a great deal for not only the state of New Jersey but for the country.”