Dr. Tamara Sterling is a transformational visionary leader dedicated to providing a high-
quality personalized education for all children. Dr. Sterling began her career as a middle school
Special Education teacher in Houston, Texas. She is an alumnus of New Leaders for New
Schools, a fellowship program for transformational school leaders. During her time as an NLNS
principal fellow working on the Westside and Southside of Chicago, she learned valuable
strategies for turning around some of the nation's lowest-performing schools. Dr. Sterling has led
successful school transformation teams as a principal in Chicago, Illinois, Houston, Texas, and
Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Sterling also served as the Director of Secondary Schools in
Accomack, Virginia.

In 2017, Dr. Sterling became the superintendent of Franklin City Public Schools. At the time of
her appointment, Franklin City was one of the lowest-performing school divisions in Virginia.
The division was under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of
Education. In 2018, Dr. Sterling led Franklin City Public Schools to successfully exit the
Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education. Dr. Sterling
believes that "all children are gifted, and the entire community must work collaboratively to
remove the visible and invisible barriers that impede students from achieving the greatness they
deserve."

Dr. Sterling is a proud alumnus of Texas Southern University, where she earned her
undergraduate degree. She also has a Master's in Educational Leadership from Prairie View
A&M University and a doctorate from The University of New England in Transformative
Educational Leadership and Policy. Dr. Sterling is continuing her education at Harvard
University, pursuing a certificate in advanced leadership. She is also a member of numerous
boards and organizations at the local, state, and national levels. She is also a proud mother of two
wonderful children.