Mark Grier to Lead Achieve Board

Thursday, November 20, 2014Printer-friendly version

Prudential Financial's Vice Chairman Mark Grier to Lead Achieve Board 

Washington, D.C. -  November 20, 2014 - Achieve today named Mark Grier, Vice Chairman of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), as the chairman of the education nonprofit's board of directors.  Grier has served on the board since 2009, and has been a leading voice for college and career readiness in the business community.  He succeeds former Intel Chairman and CEO Craig Barrett, who has led the board since 2008.

"Mark has long been dedicated to ensuring our country prepares its students to be ready for college, career and being good citizens for many years," said Mike Cohen, Achieve's president. "Mark's insight and leadership are incredibly valuable to Achieve, the board and our mission."

Grier's leadership on the board continues Prudential Financial's longstanding commitment to improving education outcomes.  Former Prudential Chairman Art Ryan served on the Achieve board from 1999 to 2008, and as the chairman from 2005 to 2008. 

"Achieve plays a critical role in ensuring that U.S. students have the knowledge and skills they need to compete in a global economy," said Grier. "As a nation, we must continue our commitment to high academic standards to make sure the diplomas we hand out truly mean a student is ready for every aspect of life after high school."

Grier, a member of Prudential Financial's Office of the Chairman and of its board of directors, oversees the Finance, Risk Management, Chief Investment, Corporate Actuarial, Investor Relations, Global Business & Technology Solutions, Audit and Global Marketing and Communications functions. In addition, he leads Global Strategic Initiatives, which oversees Prudential's international retirement and China strategies. 

Under the leadership of former board chair Craig Barrett, Achieve became the leading voice for college- and career-ready policies and a leader in helping states collaborate on solutions for shared education challenges. According to Barrett, "There's nothing more important for our children than for us to provide them with every opportunity to become successful individuals.  To stay competitive in the 21st century, maintaining the status quo isn't enough. I am confident with Mark's leadership, Achieve will continue to push for improving our nation's education system for all children."

About Achieve

Achieve is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization dedicated to working with states to raise academic standards and graduation requirements, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability. For more information about the work of Achieve, visit www.achieve.org

Media Contacts: Chad Colby (202) 419-1570, ccolby@achieve.org / Lisa Villareal (973) 367-2503, lisa.villareal@prudential.com

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