Bob served as Minnesota’s Commissioner of Education from 1996-1999 for Governor Arne Carlson, where he led the development of learning standards and the first state school accountability system, and expanded the chartered schools sector. As Deputy Commissioner of Education in the 1980s, he coordinated Governor Rudy Perpich’s plan for open enrollment, post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) and area learning centers. Bob served as the first director of the renowned Minnesota Reading Corps.
As founding director of Innovative Quality Schools, a charter authorizer, he oversaw the development and growth of innovative school models. Bob earlier served as a special education teacher and administrator. He is a board member of People for Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PPSEO), and co-facilitator of the 30-member MN Superintendents Innovation Discussion Group.