Tracy R. Justesen

President George W. Bush nominated Tracy R. Justesen as assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services on Nov. 15, 2007, and the Senate confirmed him to his post on Dec. 19, 2007. He is Secretary Margaret Spellings' principal adviser on special education, vocational rehabilitation and disability and rehabilitation research. His office, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), implements a wide range of federal programs in these areas.

He was a technical adviser to the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education to conduct research and help write the 2002 report A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families. During 2004-05, he was detailed to serve as the associate director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, working to implement the New Freedom Initiative and draft two executive orders, No. 13347 (on emergency preparedness for persons with disabilities) and No. 13360 (on opportunities for disabled veterans). Finally, from 2005 to 2007, he served as the U.S. delegate-adviser to the U.N. Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Tracy also served as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.

He has a J.D. (with honors), a master of science, and an LL.M. degree in international law. He also holds an honorary doctorate.