In July 2007, Derrick L. Lopez was appointed Chief of High School Reform for the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS). In that role, he developed a comprehensive five-year roadmap to transform the secondary schools in the city. Implementing that roadmap and attempting to re-calibrate the instructional laser for both teachers and students, he now serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools, where he supervises the comprehensive high schools, serving grades 9-12, and the thematic learning communities that he and his team have co-designed, serving grades 6-12. Mr. Lopez began his career as an educator more than 20 years ago and then chose to pursue a legal career. After his judicial clerkship and a brief foray into private practice, he returned to the field of education. Mr. Lopez received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Dartmouth College; a Juris Doctor cum laude from Cornell Law School; and a Master of Education from Marygrove College. He expects to complete a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy from Michigan State University in the spring 2012. Before joining the PPS, Mr. Lopez served as the Principal of Berkley High School located in Berkley, Michigan.