DPI's New Leadership Team

While it feels like just yesterday we hit the ground running, my new leadership team has been hard at work for just over a month now. You’ve likely had interactions/communications with many of them since they took office, but I’d like to take an opportunity to provide a more detailed introduction. They bring a vast diversity of personal and professional experience at a critical time as our communities, schools, kids, and families continue to face the lingering challenges from the pandemic. This team is built to listen, collaborate with stakeholders, and get to work to build a public education system where every child gets what they need to succeed, every day.

John previously served as director for Literacy and Mathematics at the DPI, and prior to that served as the communications director in the Office of the State Superintendent. Prior to joining DPI, John served for more than 15 years in schools as a history, social studies, and special education teacher; learning coordinator; and high school assistant principal. He has taught graduate courses in Educational Leadership as an assistant professor and lecturer. Also, John serves as a public member, appointed by the governor, of the Wisconsin Arts Board.

John earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned two master’s degrees, one in Educational Administration and one in Special Education–Learning Disabilities. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Georgetown University. John and his wife have three daughters, all Wisconsin public school graduates with the youngest graduating last school year.

Tom previously served as senior manager at the Department of Children and Families, and previously served as the communications director at the DPI where he led a team charged with supporting the mission and vision of the state superintendent. Before joining the DPI, Tom worked in the Wisconsin State Legislature as a legislative assistant, research assistant, and committee clerk. There, he focused on connecting communications and policy to build more effective solutions and better serve impacted stakeholders.

Tom is a graduate of UW-Madison, a husband and the proud father of a toddler, and when he has free time, enjoys playing music.

Latoya continues in her role as special assistant to the state superintendent. She began her career at the DPI in 2005 as an intern through the State of Wisconsin’s Student Diversity Internship Program. Latoya later served as a school administration consultant for the Private School Choice (Voucher) Programs and as the state’s charter schools consultant.

Latoya holds degrees in English and Educational Policy from the University of Illinois and UW-Madison. Latoya is a wife and mother of four and extends her commitment to equity through service in her church where she has spearheaded community support initiatives including backpack give-a-ways, coat drives, and youth development activities.

Paul grew up in Whitewater, Wisconsin where he graduated from Whitewater High School and then attended, played baseball, and graduated from UW-Whitewater with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He earned a Master in Education degree from National Louis University and then a Master in Education Leadership degree from Concordia University-Wisconsin.

Paul taught and coached in the Elkhorn Area School district for 16 years before becoming the Middle/High School Principal in the Pecatonica Area School District.

Paul lives in Waunakee with his wife, Michelle and daughter, a senior at Waunakee High School. His son is currently attending Madison College. In his free time, he enjoys watching his son play baseball for Madison College and daughter play softball for Waunakee High School. Paul loves the Wisconsin outdoors, camping and hiking with family and hunting with friends.

Tricia began her career in state service working at the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau where she was a fiscal analyst. Tricia then joined the DPI as the school consultant for the private school choice program. From 2013 until 2019, Tricia served as the director of the School Management Services team at the DPI. Most recently, Tricia served as the director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

Tricia is a graduate of Marquette University Law School. She and her husband, both graduates of Augustana College, have three children. In her free time, Tricia enjoys visiting bookstores and Wisconsin supper clubs. She also enjoys watching sports and musical events, especially when her children are participating.

Keona Prior to being appointed in 2019, Keona served as the deputy chief of schools in the Racine Unified School District. Keona has more than 24 years of experience working at various levels of public, private, and higher education institutions. Over the course of her career, Keona has served students and families as both an educator and school administrator. She is an experienced leader in education who has been recognized as the Administrator of the Year by the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted.

Keona holds a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership/Curriculum and Instruction from Cardinal Stritch University, where she is also about to complete her doctorate.

Duy served for more than 17 years in schools as a kindergarten, first- and second-grade teacher, learning coordinator, and an elementary school principal. Duy also spent several summers teaching middle and high school students in Nanjing, China. He was a librarian in Quito, Ecuador before heading to New York City to study at Teachers College-Columbia University. Duy started the first laboratory school in Wisconsin and to our knowledge, will be the first Southeast Asian state assistant superintendent in Wisconsin history.

Duy earned his bachelor's degree from UW-Madison and master's degrees in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from Teachers College-Columbia University and UW-Madison. Duy and his wife have two children. His family loves the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Tessa has been a public library consultant with the DPI for nearly ten years, specializing in library youth services and inclusive services for all library users. Throughout her career, Tessa has had one foot in education and the other in libraries. Prior to DPI, she was a third-grade teacher and K-8 school library media specialist, as well as a director and librarian at a public library, and a librarian for the UW’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center. While at DPI, Tessa led Growing Wisconsin Readers, an early literacy initiative based in public libraries. She also developed the Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide, a nationally recognized inventory and reflection tool for libraries to evaluate accessibility, equity, and barriers to services.

Tessa earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is married and has two children, one of whom recently finished public school four-year-old kindergarten. Her husband is an Army Reservist currently on active duty. Tessa and her family are outdoor enthusiasts working to visit all of the Wisconsin State Parks.

Organizationally, our divisions and responsibilities have changed very little. So please continue to use our leaders and their staff as you did in the past administration. On behalf of myself and my team, thank you for your commitment and service to our students and schools. We look forward to working with you to continue our mission of ensuring that every child, regardless of zip code, has access to a quality public education.

Sincerely,