Wing Selected as DoDEA Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DoDEA Director Tom Brady announced today that Ms. Kelisa Wing has been selected as the new DoDEA Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Kelisa Wing has served as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist since October 2021. Prior to that appointment Wing served at DoDEA HQ as a Professional Development Specialist; as well as an Elementary School Assistant Principal at West Point, New York; and 8th-grade Language Arts and Reading teacher at Faith Middle School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Selected as the 2017 DoDEA State Teacher of the Year, Wing was the first person of color to achieve that honor.

“Kelisa Wing is the exactly the right person to lead our efforts in building on the foundational work done to support meaningful change in our organization,” said Brady. “This new position will take a holistic approach to identifying and improving how we integrate the practice of diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of DoDEA, from curriculum and assessment to hiring and professional development.”

Wing, a U.S. Army veteran, has been involved with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for students and schools over many years, authoring several books on the topic, and was selected as a 2021 Equity Labs Nexus Fellow. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, and an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.

“I’m honored to be selected as DoDEA’s first Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” said Wing. “DEI is a shared responsibility and is OUR collective work to ensure that everyone has equitable access to learn, achieve, and succeed no matter who they are, where they are located, or what they look like. I pledge to honor this position by carrying the stories, dreams, passion, love, and joy of everyone in DoDEA.”

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-age children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Agencies throughout the United States that serve children of military families.