Dr. Ryan Stewart was appointed Secretary of Education for the State of New Mexico by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. He is the first African American to serve as the state’s Chief State School Officer. As Secretary, Dr. Stewart leads the state’s Public Education Department where he oversees the state’s education policy and program development, funding distribution, and operational management.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Stewart served as the Regional Executive Director for Partners in School Innovation, charged with leading the organization’s East Coast business engagements. Partners in School Innovation supports districts and schools serving predominantly low income students of color to design and implement research-based, systemic approaches to school transformation.
Dr. Stewart also served as the Executive Director of the Office of School Improvement and Innovation at the School District of Philadelphia. In that role, Dr. Stewart oversaw the District’s efforts to foster innovation in line with the District’s strategic improvement goals. The Office of School Improvement and Innovation leads the development of incentives and forums to identify, implement, and disseminate promising innovative practices throughout the school system. Dr. Stewart earned his doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining the School District of Philadelphia, he worked in California for the New Teacher Center, a national non-profit specializing in new teacher induction, and served as a coach for new teachers as well as a professional developer in math instruction and in establishing professional learning communities. Dr. Stewart began his career as a math and science teacher in California. In addition to his doctorate, he received his B.A. in economics from Stanford University.
