Nat receiving the Massachusetts Association of School Committees All-State School Committee Award for his analysis of state and local education funding from MASC president Maurice Hancock in November 2006.
As the state legislature debated reform of Chapter 70 education aid, Nat Fortune emerged as one of the most knowledgeable and analytic of school committee members. Using state-of-the-art software and mapping technology, he and his team developed valuable illustrations that demonstrated how many Massachusetts communities were still disadvantaged by key legislative proposals. His attentiveness to detail and his commitment to disseminating timely information to the MASC membership and legislative leadership was vital to the funding discussion and changes that took place this year.
Biography
Nat Fortune is associate professor of physics at Smith College in Northampton MA, where he teaches courses in physics and environmental science, with an emphasis on renewable energy. He was first elected to his town of Whately‘s school committee in 2003, re-elected in 2006 and 2009, and currently serves as its chair. Under Nat’s leadership, the school has carried out a series of energy audits and improvements that have reduced its energy usage by more than 30%. In 2006 Nat received the Massachusetts Association of School Committee‘s All-State School Committee Award for his maps and analysis of inequities in state and local contributions to education funding, analysis that directly lead to improvements in state funding. In 2007 the Whately Selectboard dedicated the town’s annual report to Nat and his wife Joyce for their efforts on behalf of the town and schools.
Education, Employment, and Family
- Swarthmore College, B.A. in Physics with Honors, May 1983
- Boston University, Ph.D. in Physics, January 1990
- Electrotechnical Laboratory, Physical Science Division, Tsukuba, Japan August 1989 – June 1994
- Smith College, Department of Physics, Northampton, MA July 1994 – present
- married to Joyce Palmer-Fortune (Whately Select Board 2008 – present, Frontier Community Access Television Board)
- two children, ages 15 and 17, proud students of Whately Elementary School (K – 6 grade) and Frontier Regional School (7th grade – present)
