Mr. David Esquith is the Director for the Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) that reports to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) starting January 30, 2012.

Dave Esquith has served in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services for 23 years. Mr. Esquith brings a wealth of program and management experience to OSHS having worked with formula and discretionary grant programs in the Office of Special Education Programs, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Dave has served as a Special Advisor to the NIDRR Director as well as NIDRR’s Deputy Director. When the Department re-organized RSA in 2005, Dave was integrally involved in restructuring the agency and served as the Director of the State Monitoring and Program Improvement Division. Dave has worked as a special education teacher and administrator, Peace Corps Volunteer, lobbyist for the Association for Retarded Citizens, congressional aide, and recently completed an extended detail at the Office of Management and Budget as a program examiner.

All of OESE program offices make substantive contributions to helping all students graduate from high school - college and career ready. Dave will bring a fresh set of eyes to OSHS and will work closely with the other OSHS Directors, and all of the OSHS staff, to reflect on and update the Department’s and OESE's vision for the important work of OSHS, and to identify new opportunities. Dave will also support the efforts of the OSHS programs in fully integrating OSHS within OESE, both in terms of the standard operating procedures and efforts to become a High Performing, Highly Reliable Organization and “Best Place to Work.”