BOSTON, February 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parthenon Group, a leading strategic advisory firm with offices in Boston, London, Mumbai, and San Francisco, announced today that Margot Rogers will join the company as a Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor to Parthenon's renowned Education Center of Excellence. Ms. Rogers, formerly Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will focus primarily on advising Parthenon's K-12 education clients, and brings a combination of policy and practical experience that will strengthen Parthenon's industry-leading education practice.

"Parthenon is delighted to be adding Margot Rogers to our team," said Bill Achtmeyer, Parthenon's Chairman and Managing Partner. "She is widely respected as one of the foremost leaders in shaping and implementing innovative education reform, and will help further our Education Center of Excellence's reputation as the sector's global leader in strategic advisory services."

Rogers will play an integral role in advising Parthenon clients on education strategy, as well as identifying growth opportunities for Parthenon as a thought leader in the education sector.

"I have long known and respected Parthenon, both for their high quality analysis and ability to help clients create practical solutions to real challenges," said Rogers.

"Developing and implementing successful, innovative education strategies is both an economic and social imperative around the world," said Rogers. "This is an important time for the education sector, and I look forward to advising our clients on the decisions that will create and enhance meaningful educational opportunities for students and school systems across the globe."

Parthenon has been an advisor to the education sector since its founding in 1991, and the Education Center of Excellence was the first of its kind among management consulting firms. Since 2001, Parthenon teams have completed over 400 education projects with K-12, post-secondary and private sector clients in more than 27 countries, including clients in India, Southeast Asia and MENA countries.

"Margot is an important addition to our global education team, especially as we continue to experience a growing demand to help global education operators with international growth strategies and to support financial and strategic investors' access to quality education opportunities," said Robert Lytle, Partner and Co-Head of the Education Center of Excellence at Parthenon. "We look forward to Margot's ability to help advise our international education clients on leading issues of education strategy, policy and reform."

"Margot's deep experience in education policy at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Department of Education is an extraordinary addition to our ability to advise our global network of education clients," said Karan Khemka, Partner and Mumbai Office Head. "Parthenon's work with governments, local education authorities, and education providers often touches on the critical policy and education reform issues that Margot has been central to for the last decade."

Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education, Rogers spent 15 years working on issues of education policy and practice for foundations and non-profit organizations. She served as a Deputy Director of Education and the Special Assistant to the Director of Education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she managed the development of the foundation's College-Ready education strategy and staff realignment, and served on the education division's investment committee and strategic leadership team.

She has served on numerous education-related boards and advisory commissions. Rogers is currently on the Board of Directors for The Joyce Foundation and is a member of the Review Board for the Broad Prize for Urban Education.

Rogers holds a B.A. from Emory University, where she was a Truman Scholar, and a J.D. and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the bar in Washington, D.C.