2026 Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute

“The National Governors Association convened its annual Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute (GEPA) in New Orleans from May 27-29, 2026, bringing together 34 leaders from 21 states and territories. Over three days of programming, education policy advisors worked across eight policy areas, from early childhood and literacy to higher education finance and career pathways, collaborating on strategies to improve student outcomes across the full learning continuum.

The institute opened in New Orleans with a fitting state spotlight: Louisiana’s own model of cradle-to-career workforce development. Dr. Sabrah Kingham from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s office, and Cate Swinburn, Co-Founder, CEO & President of YouthForce NOLA, described how the state has made aligning education with economic development a defining priority of the Landry administration, attracting major employers who require a skilled local workforce pipeline to make their investments viable.”

You can learn more about the Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute here.