41. Jeanette Deutermann

The queen of the Opt-Out Movement on Long Island, Jeanette Deutermann has proven fearless, determined, and smart. In her endless quest to topple the state-run education nightmare that is threatening public education, Deutermann has not only created the templates for state test refusals, but has become more and more political behind the scenes, unleashing a task force of advocates who work tirelessly to fill seats on local school boards, in the New York Assembly, Senate and—someday—in the governor’s mansion. She has fielded calls from Gov. Andrew Cuomo personally to her cell phone on the soccer field, asking her how he should address education in his State of the State address, and is still the main lightning rod for the movement. With education a hot-button topic and the most publicly contested U.S. Secretary of Education now dictating national policy, Long Island’s parents are looking to Deutermann more than ever before to push the people in charge to right the ship and ensure the brightest educational future possible for not just local students, but all those throughout the state.