Welcoming New Leaders to Team DPS

Aug. 8, 2019

Dear Team DPS,

I am excited to share we will be welcoming three new members to our DPS leadership team, all of whom are bringing a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for education that I know will make a difference for all of Team DPS and our students.

To start, Dwight Jones is joining DPS to lead our Equity and Engagement team . Dwight is a highly regarded and accomplished education leader here in Colorado and across the nation. His career began in the classroom as a teacher, and he went on to work in a wide variety of leadership roles. From 2007-2010, he oversaw all of our state’s schools as the Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education. He then went on to serve as superintendent of Clark County Schools in Las Vegas, where he raised the bar for academic standards and created graduation initiatives that boasted one of the largest graduation rate increases in 2011-12. Most recently, Dwight has served as Senior Vice President of Equity, Inclusion and Urban Markets at McGraw-Hill Education.

Our equity work is our biggest and most important challenge, and I’m thrilled to have Dwight’s talent and drive to lead us in becoming an equity school district. As Dwight shared: “I’m excited to be part of Team DPS and very much look forward to working closely with the talented and dedicated Equity and Engagement team and collaborating with the community on this critically important work.”

I’m also pleased to share with you that June Taylor is joining Team DPS as our new Chief Human Resources Officer . For more than four years, June has been a leader with state government. She joins us from the Department of Law, where she was responsible for the community engagement, financial, IT and human resources functions for the Attorney General’s office. She has also served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration and State Personnel Director, a dual role in which she oversaw all state agencies’ human resources functions including compensation and benefits for more than 33,000 employees. June’s career has always included a focus on equity, including during her role as Senior Manager of Culture, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity Programs for Lockheed Martin Space. I look forward to utilizing her passion for building diverse and inclusive environments as she leads Human Resources and our recruitment and retention efforts. As June shared: “I am inspired by DPS' mission-driven culture and commitment to children. I look forward to working with and learning from the district's incredible talent."

And the third new addition to Team DPS I’m excited to share is that Albert Samora is our new Executive Director of Transportation . Albert brings 14 years of leadership and experience in student transportation. He has supported school districts across Colorado, most recently leading the transportation team in Boulder Valley School District as the Director of Transportation. Under his leadership, BVSD ushered in innovative ways to ensure all kids arrive to and from school safely, including implementing a camera system, new ways to track ridership data, and supporting with the design of a new bus terminal. Albert said he wants to continue providing alternative transportation solutions for students at DPS. “The future of providing access to our students is a complete look at all modes of transportation,” he said. “School transportation is part of the solution to a total system.”

Please join me in welcoming Dwight, June, and Albert to Team DPS! I look forward to continued collaboration with them and across our teams as we all work together to build a school system designed to lift every student to succeed and thrive.

Warm regards,

Susana

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