Press Releases
03/04/2020
Commissioner Cardona Announces Dr. Shuana Tucker Joins Agency as Chief Talent Officer
(Hartford, CT) - Education Commissioner Dr. Miguel A. Cardona is pleased to announce today that Dr. Shuana Tucker has joined the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to serve as the Chief Talent Officer (CTO) responsible for managing the staff and operations of CSDE’s Talent Office. As CTO, she will lead the advancement of talent management and human capital development strategies deployed in districts and schools statewide so that the most effective educators are in every school and classroom preparing students for college, career and life.
With more than 15 years of experience in talent development in both higher education and K-12, Dr. Tucker brings with her a working knowledge of the full continuum of programs overseen by the Talent Office, including Educator Preparation, Certification, Teacher Education and Mentoring (TEAM), Educator Evaluation and Support, Workforce Diversity, Professional Learning, Retention and Career Development, and Leadership Development (e.g. LEAD Connecticut).
Dr. Tucker has held positions in public school districts throughout Connecticut providing leadership, support, and guidance in developing effective leaders and teachers through high-quality, job-embedded professional learning and ongoing support of continuous improvement for all educators. In these roles, she has spearheaded the successful implementation of several innovative talent development models to expand the pipeline of qualified candidates entering the profession, such as “Grow Your Own” programs that function as job embedded teacher certification routes aimed at certifying non-certified staff already working within the district (e.g. paraeducators).
Dr. Tucker’s work has and will continue to have a directed focus on addressing persistent shortage areas and increasing the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of Connecticut’s educator workforce – an overarching goal of CSDE and its Talent Office. In addition to her district-level talent development experience, Dr. Tucker also held a number of leadership, research, and teaching positions at UCONN’s NEAG School of Education, including Director of the Administrator Preparation Program. At the beginning of her career, she served as a research analyst with The College Fund/UNCF and was an education program specialist within the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. More on Dr. Tucker’s professional background:
- Chief Talent Officer, New Britain Public Schools; Talent & Professional Development Director, Waterbury Public Schools.
- Director of Adult and Continuing Education, Danbury Public Schools.
- NEAG School of Education, UCONN: Director & Lead Instructor, Administrator Preparation Program; Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership; Researcher & Evaluator, CommPact Schools; Assistant Director of Administration, Accelerated Schools Plus.
- Facilitator of Strategic Alliances, Hartford Public Schools.
Dr. Tucker was appointed to the role of CTO by the State Board Education at its March 4, 2020 meeting. Following her appointment, Commissioner Cardona said, “With the evolving demands of managing talent development and human capital in the field of education, it is a pleasure to welcome to our team a proven, results-oriented leader like Dr. Tucker who possesses an impressive understanding of how to effectively meet those demands. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated success at the district-level in carrying out strategies that align with our statewide goal of building an educator workforce that reflects the full diversity of our students by preparing, attracting, supporting, and retaining high-quality teachers and leaders to our highest-need content areas and school systems. I look forward to working with Dr. Tucker to ensure our teachers and leaders have the resources and opportunities for growth they need to enable the best possible outcomes for all of our students.”
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