Springfield Superintendent Named Deputy Education Commissioner

MALDEN - Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester today announced the hiring of Springfield Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram as Deputy Commissioner.

A retired Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and experienced school leader in multiple districts, Ingram has spent the past four years leading the state's second largest school district. In Springfield, Ingram oversaw an annual operating budget of $410 million for a school district that serves 25,000 students and 4,700 personnel in 45 schools. Under Ingram, Springfield Public Schools made progress in closing the proficiency gap in mathematics across all grades and in English language arts at grades 7, 8 and 10.

"I welcome Alan's leadership and wide-ranging experience to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as we work to close the achievement gap here in Massachusetts," said Governor Deval Patrick.

"Alan Ingram is a strong leader and experienced educator, and he has worked effectively with principals, teachers, parents, and union leaders to implement efforts that have accelerated achievement," said Commissioner Chester. "Alan's commitment to excellence and equity is a trademark of his career. I am thrilled that he is joining our team. Alan's leadership and experience will advance the statewide reform efforts we have implemented over the past four years."

"Alan brings a wealth of experience in education administration to this position and I look forward to his continued partnership in furthering our collective efforts to ensure that every student in Massachusetts has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential in the classroom and in life," said Education Secretary Paul Reville.

Ingram said he is excited and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Commissioner Chester and Department staff as they serve the 400 operating school districts throughout the Commonwealth.

"I am extremely proud of the reputation Massachusetts has earned as a national leader for school reform under Commissioner Chester's leadership," said Dr. Ingram. "I've had the pleasure of working with the Commissioner since beginning my tenure in Massachusetts four years ago. I will work hard to help advance the state's education priorities and support the work of teachers and administrators to elevate student achievement and close achievement gaps for all students."

Ingram, who will reside in Medford, will begin his work as deputy commissioner on July 16. He is married to Lisa D. Ummel-Ingram, a National Board certified elementary school teacher. They have one son and three grandchildren.

During a 22-year career in the Air Force, Ingram led personnel in achieving organizational goals; hired, trained, and supervised civilian and military personnel; and provided career development counseling to individual officers. He was certified as an Air Force Professional Military Education instructor and had more than 10 years of teaching experience as a classroom facilitator. Ingram served as an instructional leadership role as Commandant of the Tinker Air Force Base Oklahoma Airman Leadership School and the Pacific Air Force's Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Over the past 16 years, Ingram has led school reform efforts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Springfield, Massachusetts. In Oklahoma City, Ingram rose to the position of chief accountability officer and directed efforts to plan, organize, coordinate, and monitor the district's overall organizational, managerial, and accountability structures. Ingram helped Oklahoma City Public Schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the federal benchmark for progress under No Child Left Behind, for the first time ever.

In Springfield, Ingram led district-wide reform initiatives to accelerate student performance, increase the percentage of highly qualified teachers in classrooms, and raise participation rates among high school students on Advanced Placement exams and SAT tests. Under his tenure, Springfield implemented system-wide redesign strategies to increase the capacity of instructional leader teams, add more time for teacher collaboration, improve educator evaluations, provide additional supports for students, and increase parent and community partnerships. Ingram also dramatically improved labor-management collaborations, which led to the award of a $1.25 million competitive grant from the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation.

Ingram graduated from the University of Maryland University College, and received a master of arts from Webster University and a doctor of education from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a Fellow of the Broad Superintendents Academy.

Ingram will join Jeff Wulfson as one of two deputy commissioners at the 500-person Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which oversees the Commonwealth's public K-12 system.