GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- The Grand Rapids Board of Education voted Wednesday, October 28, to hire Dr. Allison Tingwall as the next superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools, pending successful contract negotiations.
"This is an exciting moment for GRPS and for our entire community," said Board of Education President José Rodriguez. "Dr. Allison Tingwall distinguished herself throughout this process with a clear vision for the future of our district. The positive feedback we received from stakeholders, combined with her performance during tonight’s interview, affirmed that she is ready to lead. We are confident she will help guide GRPS toward an even brighter future."
“I am a Michigander at heart, and after 20 years with Chicago Public Schools, I am excited to return home,” Tingwall said. “My experience as a school principal and central office leader has prepared me to navigate complex systems and build strong partnerships. Throughout my career, I have remained committed to ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality public education, regardless of race or background. I look forward to working alongside scholars, families, staff, and community partners to build on the district’s strengths and expand opportunities for all learners.”
Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby will continue serving the district through the end of the school year, helping ensure a seamless leadership transition for our community.
“I’m thrilled that the Board of Education has selected such a strong leader to continue advancing the work to Reimagine GRPS,” said Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby. “I look forward to partnering with Dr. Allison Tingwall in my final year of leadership as we build on our momentum, make this a year of impact for our scholars, families, and staff, and continue moving GRPS forward.”
The two finalists, Dr. Tingwall and Kelly Greene of Grand Rapids Public Schools, spent Wednesday touring the district, meeting with key stakeholders, and being interviewed by the Board of Education.
“Both candidates proved themselves to be outstanding leaders,” President Rodriguez added. “Our board felt fortunate to have such strong finalists, and we knew we could not lose with either candidate.”
The board decision comes after an extensive, nationwide search that started in February when the Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby announced that her contract would be extended for one additional year through June 2027. The district then sought extensive community input to help guide the search. Throughout August and September, GRPS hosted 20 focus groups, four in-person town halls, one virtual town hall, and an online survey to gather feedback from scholars, staff, families, and community members about the qualities and leadership characteristics they want to see in the district’s next superintendent.
Dr. Allison Tingwall
Dr. Allison Tingwall is a proud product of Michigan public education systems whose 20-year career as a student-centered educator and a strategic instructional leader has been rooted in the belief that all children deserve access to a rigorous and robust public education. She is currently the Executive Director of Principal Quality for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), setting the vision for and leading the execution of the district’s strategies to identify, develop, and retain strong school leaders across all 520+ schools. In her prior role, Allison served as the Principal of Curie Metropolitan High School, a neighborhood and magnet school of about 3,000 students on the Southwest Side of Chicago. There, she demonstrated a systemic and distributive approach to building the capacity of school teams and teacher leaders in order to generate a culture of continuous improvement which transformed the school’s culture and climate, reducing student disciplinary infractions, increasing freshmen on-track and college enrollment rates, and nearly doubling the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes. She began her career in education as a literacy tutor in elementary schools in Pilsen, then taught Spanish and math at North Lawndale College Prep, and has also developed aspiring teachers as an adjunct lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Chicago.
After attending Dearborn Public Schools and Novi Community School District, Allison went on to earn her bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. She completed both her master’s degree in instructional leadership and her doctorate in urban education leadership at the University of Illinois Chicago. Allison has been recognized as a Cambiar Catalyst Fellow and an Emerging Leader Fellow with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She and her wife are the joyful parents of two children who are Chicago Public Schools students.