DoDEA Director Thomas M. Brady to retire May 2024

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Director Tom Brady will retire May 31, 2024.

Brady became the Director of DoDEA on March 12, 2014, and is DoDEA’s longest serving Director. Prior to joining DoDEA, Mr. Brady was Superintendent of Providence, Rhode Island Public Schools, as well as Chief Executive Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, and Chief Operating Officer for the Fairfax County Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools.

During Brady’s decade-long tenure, DoDEA has risen to become first in the nation on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” Additionally, 39 of 40 DoDEA High Schools were recognized on the 2023 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll​; with four DoDEA High Schools also earning the AP Access Award​.

“Taking care of our people is a key priority for the Department,” said Ashish S. Vazirani, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “Tom Brady has dedicated himself to that priority and to the families we serve. Over his decade-long tenure, he has delivered impressive results, elevating DoDEA to the highest-rated school system in the country. He has improved the lives of countless military families through his commitment to ensuring the children of our Total Force members are well prepared for lifelong learning. We all thank him.”

Brady explains DoDEA’s success during his tenure in part through the implementation of new College and Career Ready Standards, a modern, unified curriculum with rigorous, aligned assessments across all DoDEA schools. He also credits the agency’s dedication to continuous improvement, using a collaborative framework implemented through the school system’s strategic plan with consistent, iterative changes at every level of the organization.

“Tom Brady’s extraordinarily successful tenure as Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity is a direct reflection of the tremendous work he has done in the role to benefit military-connected families and support the readiness of our men and women in uniform,” said Ronald T. Keohane, Assistant Secretary of Defense, for Manpower & Reserve Affairs. “The outstanding quality of DoDEA schools provides a significant incentive for our warfighters to build their careers within military service.”

Brady also oversaw multiple organization-wide restructuring initiatives. Early in his tenure he implemented One DoDEA to unify the Americas, Europe, and Pacific Regions while creating consistency in all aspects of school operations, which was critical to the success of the College and Career Ready Standards. Brady also championed Restructuring for Student Achievement, an internal reorganization to better focus on supporting our schools by moving resources closer to students. 

Brady also steered DoDEA through the once-in-a-generation challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, DoDEA was able to standup a virtual school system within a matter of months, successfully maintain continuity of education for students, and navigate a safe return to the classroom long before other school districts were able to return to in-person learning.

“It has been an honor to serve as Director of DoDEA for the past ten years,” said Brady. “The best parts of my job have been seeing our students excel and working with the remarkably talented and dedicated team who have made all our achievements possible. Another critical component of DoDEA’s success has been the remarkable partnerships with military commands and consistent support from our Pentagon leadership.” 

The current Chief Academic Officer for the Department of Defense Education Activity, Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, is slated to step into the role of Director of DoDEA following Mr. Brady’s retirement.

“Dr. Beth Narvaez is one of the smartest, most knowledgeable, and most dedicated educators I have ever had the good fortune to work alongside, and I know that she is the ideal candidate to lead DoDEA going forward.”