April 5, 2022 — NCTR is powered by its mission, people, and culture. Time and again, we have hired the nation’s most innovative, forward-thinkers to lead the organization and our programming, policy, operations, and research. As a dynamic organization, we continuously evolve to ensure that we are always serving our residency program partners, teachers, and students.
And continuing this tradition of progress, NCTR is excited to announce today that Dr. Kathlene Holmes Campbell will take the reins of NCTR, effective June 1, 2022. Kathlene comes to NCTR from the School of Education at the University of St. Thomas, where she has served as the Dean for the last four years. Her impact there is profound and her passion for the teachers and students will now stretch to reach across the nation and dozens of NCTR partner residency programs.
During her tenure, Kathlene pushed for improved teacher education that focuses on K-12 students in the Twin Cities’ schools. For the first time in St. Thomas’s history, the School of Education has joined the ranks of the U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 Best Graduate Programs for education and is now ranked second in the state of Minnesota.
Kathlene’s tenure is hallmarked by her commitment to combat racism and improve equity. She established racial literacy roundtable sessions and led the creation of a university-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion event in response to hateful and racist speech. She expanded residency programs to support Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools and several charter school operators. In addition, she established the Diverse Teachers Initiative which created a pathway for students to earn their bachelor’s degree and license when they matriculate from the Dougherty Family College, St Thomas’s two-year degree program, to the School of Education. Finally, Kathlene created and launched the Minnesota Institute for Trauma-Informed Education (MITIE) in collaboration with the Morrison Family College of Health.
In addition to all of this, Kathlene is also a staff alumnae of NCTR. She launched NCTR’s innovative, California-based programming, fueled by unprecedented state investments in residencies. She is a true champion of the residency model and its power to change the way teachers are prepared.
This is an exciting, unparalleled time for growth in teacher residencies. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona recently called upon states, institutions of higher education, and school districts to utilize American Rescue Plan funds to build and support evidence-based teacher residencies, among several other important initiatives to prepare and retain high-quality teachers. This direct and intentional endorsement of the residency model by the U.S. Education Department energizes the nation’s commitment to teacher residencies.
As Kathlene takes the helm of this dynamic organization, she joins a staff that is forging new ground in the residency movement. Building on the foundational work of its founder and CEO Anissa Listak, NCTR is currently delivering consulting and services to 74 new and existing residencies, launching curriculum aligned to the Levers of Equitable Teacher Residencies, and entering the third year of the Black Educators Initiative having served more than 350 educators of color in a short time.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, please join us in welcoming Dr. Kathlene Holmes Campbell to NCTR.
Warmly,
Laura Weeldreyer, Chair of the Board