Virginia (Ginny) Gentles is a senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Voice and the director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum. She is also a contributor to the Independent Women’s Network. Gentles is a long-time school choice advocate and former state and federal education policy leader. Her work has appeared in National Review, Newsweek, City Journal, Real Clear Education and Townhall.
Gentles served as a senior political appointee in the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush. She led the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, managing the state’s school choice programs. While living in Canada, she worked for the Fraser Institute and the Ontario Ministry of Education. Gentles began her career on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant and House Budget Committee analyst.
A Florida native, Gentles is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She lives in Virginia with her two daughters.