Announcement Regarding Senior Leadership Team Members

March 20, 2019

Dear Team DPS,

Over the years I’ve been with DPS, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with two outstanding individuals: Debbie Hearty and David Suppes . Not only have these two brought years of experience and guidance to me, their peers and DPS as a whole (David having been here 11 years and Debbie since 1994!), they both have exemplified what it means to commit to our kids.

Debbie has held many different roles and currently, as Chief Human Resources Officer, she has worked to bring Teacher Leadership and Collaboration to life while striving to make DPS a more equitable and inclusive organization. She has dedicated countless hours to building strong teams in professional learning with our coaching supports, helped develop our Shared Core Values work and has always exemplified what it means to model the way.

And David, our current Chief Operating Officer, has worked with his team to find new ways to put Students First, including creating alternative transportation services and introducing scratch cooking in all school cafeterias.

After all they’ve given, it’s bittersweet to announce that Debbie and David have made the choice to spend more time with their own families and will be leaving DPS.

David, who came to DPS after a lengthy career in private sector business, has worked to transform our central departments to a more service-driven and accountable culture while building an outstanding leadership team. He has guided the passage and delivery of our last three successful bond initiatives, as well as developed innovative programs and services in areas of Planning and Choice and expansion of early education across the district, and as the head of some of our largest departments including Finance, DoTS, Facilities, Safety and Transportation. He will be taking some time to enjoy life and look for new challenges.

Debbie joined DPS about 25 years ago, starting her time with us as a math teacher and continuing in roles including instructional coach, professional development leader, assistant principal and Chief of the Culture, Equity and Leadership Team (CELT). With two DPS students of her own who are entering their high school years, Debbie wants to re-prioritize her time and focus on her family for the next few years.

I deeply respect the decision that they are making to prioritize time with their families. Thank you, Debbie and David, for all you’ve done for DPS and our students.

As difficult as it is to see them leave, with change comes the opportunity for new beginnings. With that in mind, I’m excited to share the two team members who will move into these leadership roles.

Tamara Acevedo has agreed to take on the role of our new Deputy Superintendent of Academics, which aims to build coherence with tighter coupling of teaching and learning functions across the board. Tamara has worked in DPS for the past 22 years as a teacher, literacy lead teacher, mathematics content specialist, mathematics curriculum coordinator, assistant principal and principal, and most recently as lead instructional superintendent of Network 1. She’s also a proud DPS parent!

Additionally, Mark Ferrandino will lead our operations team as our new Deputy Superintendent of Operations. Mark -- who is also a proud DPS parent -- began as DPS’ Chief Financial Officer in 2014. Before joining Team DPS, he worked as a policy analyst for the White House Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. Later, he was appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives and was elected Speaker of the House by his peers and served in that role from 2013-14.

Please join me in wishing farewell to David and Debbie and congratulating Tamara and Mark. I look forward to our ongoing work alongside you and all of Team DPS as we push to make sure every one of our students is empowered to succeed.

Warm Regards,

Susana

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