Helen Ladd, Professor, Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy, began her career examining fiscal disparities and the fiscal crisis of U.S. cities and then focused her research on school accountability, school choice, and the economics of education. Significant books include America’s Ailing Cities (1989) and When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale (2001). She received her B.A. from Wellesley College (1967), master’s from the London School of Economics (1968), and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard (1974). She taught at Wellesley College (1974-1977), Harvard (1978-1986), and beginning in 1986 at Duke in public policy and economics until professor emerita status (2017). She has had numerous national and international affiliations with academic and research organizations, including the Brookings Institution and three Fulbright grants for foreign research. She has served as President of the National Tax Association (1993) and the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management (2011). She holds the Steve Gold Award from NTA/APPAM (2002) and was elected to the National Academy of Education (2011).