Carolyn Stanford Taylor | |
---|---|
![]() | |
27th Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin | |
In office January 7, 2019 –July 5, 2021 | |
Governor | Tony Evers |
Preceded by | Tony Evers |
Succeeded by | Jill Underly |
Personal details | |
Born | 1957or1958(age 67–68) Marks,Mississippi,U.S. |
Political party | Independent |
Education | University of Wisconsin,Madison (BA,MA) |
Carolyn Stanford Taylor is an American educator who served as the 27th Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2019 to 2021. [1] [2] Stanford Taylor was the first African American to serve as Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction. [2] [3]
Her appointment was announced by Wisconsin Governor-elect Tony Evers in December 2018,who served as Superintendent of Public Instruction prior to his election as Governor. She did not run for the seat in 2021. [2] Prior to assuming the superintendent's office,she served as the Assistant State Superintendent for the Wisconsin Division for Learning Support for 17 years. [4] [5]
Born and raised in Marks,Mississippi,Stanford Taylor and her siblings were one of the first African American families to integrate the schools. [6] She attended the University of Wisconsin,Madison where she received a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1978 and a master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis in 1979. [7]
Stanford Taylor served as a classroom teacher and principal in the Madison Metropolitan School District for twenty years,serving as principal of Marquette and Lincoln elementary schools and Wright Middle School. She was the first African-American president of the local teachers union. Prior to her appointment as State Superintendent,Stanford Taylor was the first female,African-American appointed to serve as an assistant state superintendent. [8] She supervised the Special Education Team,one of the agency's largest teams;the Student Services/Prevention and Wellness Team,which focused on student safety,support,and engagement;and the residential schools for students who are blind and visually impaired in Janesville and students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Delavan. [9]
Stanford Taylor is the 2018 recipient Virginia Hart Special Recognition,an award bestowed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration,Division of Personnel Management,to female state employees "who are making a difference through their service to Wisconsin." [10]