Press Release - 1/31/25

On Friday, January 31, 2025, at a Special meeting, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors named its finalists for the role of Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools.

"We are pleased by the number of stellar candidates who applied to be considered for the role of Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools," President Herndon shared. "We look forward to bringing the finalists to Milwaukee next week to meet with our stakeholders."

Over 50 applications for the role were received and 48 candidates were considered. The Board narrowed the candidate pool to the three finalists who it believes to be well positioned to serve the Milwaukee community.

Today, the Board is pleased to announce that the following three education leaders as its finalists:

Dr. Brenda Cassellius, former Superintendent for Boston Public Schools, MA

Dr. Joshua Starr, former Superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

Dr. Andraé Townsel, current Superintendent for Calvert County Public Schools, MD

The candidate biographies are included below (alphabetically).

Dr. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator devoted to ensuring all children receive an equitable and excellent education. Most recently, as Boston Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Cassellius led the district successfully through a global pandemic, secured 110 million in new annual funding, passed new high school graduation standards and historic admissions policies increasing access and opportunity to Boston’s three exam schools, and worked with Mayor Wu on a two billion dollar Green New Schools Deal to better Boston’s school buildings.

Prior to that, Dr. Cassellius served as Minnesota's Commissioner of Education for eight years, where she worked across bipartisan lines to enact comprehensive education reforms that resulted in a remarkable list of accomplishments, including historic new funding for schools, all-day kindergarten, state-funded preschool, anti-bully legislation and establishing a state school safety office, created a new pathway for the adult diploma, and the highest graduation rates on record.

Dr. Cassellius was also Superintendent in East Metro Integration District, Associate Superintendent for Middle and High Schools in Minneapolis Public Schools, and Academic Superintendent for Middle Schools in Memphis City Schools where she led a remarkable turnaround, raised student achievement, improved student attendance, and ended the use of corporal punishment.

Dr. Cassellius started her career as a special education paraprofessional, was a social studies teacher, and school leader. She is best known for her unrelenting advocacy and community building across sectors to build political will and strategic plans to ensure that students are safe, connected and prepared to thrive. Dr. Cassellius believes that change can happen quickly when it authentically and meaningfully involves the full community, and is driven by shared decision making and accountability.

Dr. Cassellius was raised by a single mother and grew up in public housing. She understands firsthand the positive impact an education and a connected community can have on the life outcomes of children, especially when opportunity is created for them. That is what drives her purpose. Dr. Cassellius' personal background, her big system regional experience, her public service at the highest levels of city and state government, and her nonprofit CEO experience make her a unique match to lead Milwaukee at this pivotal time.

Dr. Joshua P. Starr is a successful leader with experience in three sectors. He spent ten years as a Superintendent of Schools in two districts; Montgomery County, MD, the fifteenth largest in the country, and Stamford, CT. Dr. Starr’s leadership has always focused on equity and excellence. He has led collective efforts to ensure high quality instruction for every child, increase innovation, expand community engagement, activate student voice, increase teacher leadership, and support principals. Dr. Starr started his career in Brooklyn, NY, teaching Global Studies to adolescents labeled severely emotionally disturbed, and then became a system leader in districts in the New York metropolitan area, including New York City.

As a non-profit CEO at PDK International, Dr. Starr led the launch of the nation’s first career and technical education program to prepare high school students to become teachers. He also supported district leadership teams as they implemented research-based transformational equity and excellence initiatives. In the corporate sector, as the Managing Partner of the Center for Model Schools at HMH, Dr. Starr’s team supported leaders throughout the country in their school improvement efforts.

Dr. Starr’s desire to be Superintendent of Schools in Milwaukee is grounded in his lifelong commitment to service, equity, and excellence. His success as a superintendent and deep knowledge of the research and education landscape, coupled with his experience in the non-profit and corporate sectors, give him a unique skill set that well suits the challenges and opportunities facing Milwaukee.

Dr. Starr has won numerous awards, served on many boards, and has been a keynote speaker throughout his career. He’s a prolific author, having published numerous columns, op-eds, and book chapters. His book, “Equity Based Leadership,” is used by superintendents to guide their transformation efforts.

Dr. Starr, his wife, and daughter are alumni of UW-Madison, and his oldest son will graduate from there in 2025. Their youngest child is a high school junior. He has a Master’s in Special Education from Brooklyn College and a Doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Andraé Townsel is an award-winning, highly effective superintendent with a proven track record of improving student achievement, financial acumen, and district-wide transformation. A three-time graduate of Howard University, Dr. Townsel holds a Doctorate, Master’s, and Bachelor’s degree, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to educational excellence. He is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the AASA Urban Superintendent Academy and holds Maryland’s Advanced Professional Superintendent License.

As Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) in Maryland, Dr. Townsel has led impressive academic gains, including contributing to Maryland’s meteoric rise in proficiency levels on the latest the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from 40th to 20th in fourth grade reading nationally, driven by a district-wide commitment to the Science of Reading. Under his leadership, CCPS became the #4 best district in Maryland, achieving #1 statewide rankings in key MCAP literacy assessments. Financially, he secured a “Zero Audit Findings” report, meaning no weaknesses or compliance issues, while significantly increasing district investment earnings.

Previously, as Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools in Michigan, Dr. Townsel led the district out of a decades-long financial deficit, increased student achievement, and secured a $3 million literacy grant. His expertise in school transformation has earned him national recognition, including the Howard University Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement (2024), the Legacy23 Award for Educational Leadership (2024), and the Teachers Festival Excellence in Education Award (2023).

“I am eager to bring my leadership to Milwaukee Public Schools because of the opportunity to increase literacy proficiency levels across the district and to demonstrate effective financial leadership. I am committed to ensuring that all students develop strong reading and math skills, while also building a fiscally responsible and high-performing school system that benefits all of Milwaukee’s students, families, and community. I will lead with a sense of urgency.”

The selected finalists have been invited to spend two days in the District, on February 6th and 7th, 2025, participating in interviews, visiting schools and meeting with stakeholders.

There will be two opportunities on February 6th for community members to hear from and provide feedback on the Superintendent Finalists Candidates.

Community stakeholder meetings with the finalists will be held at MPS Central Office – 5225 West Vliet Street in the Auditorium on Thursday, February 6th. The first session will run from 1:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. and the second session will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The schedule will go as follows:

Community Forums with the Finalists

February 6th, 1:00 – 3:45 pm and 5:30 – 8:15 pm, Central Services Auditorium

1:00 – 1:45 - Candidate 1

2:00 – 2:45 – Candidate 2

3:00 – 3:45 – Candidate 3

Break

5:30 – 6:15 - Candidate 1

6:30 – 7:15 – Candidate 2

7:30 – 8:15 – Candidate 3

Candidates will be introduced by the Board Clerk, Dr. Tina Owen-Moore.

Finalists will give a brief introduction and share their vision and goals for the district. Leaders from HYA, the superintendent search firm, will moderate questions from the community.

Following each presentation, community members will be able to provide feedback on the candidate for the Board's consideration using a QR code that will be provided.

For more information, please contact the MPS Office of Board Governance at (414) 475-8284 or at governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

The Board aims to announce Milwaukee's next Superintendent in late February or early March.

Time has been set aside on Thursday, February 6th, for the press to meet with individual candidates. This "media moment" will take place in front of the Central Services Building at 5225 W. Vliet Street at 12:30 (or as the candidates arrive back at the Central Services building from their district tour).

Candidates will share a bit about why they are excited to be considered for this opportunity and the press will have a few minutes to ask questions. These individual interviews will last about ten minutes, and then the candidates will move inside to prepare for their stakeholder group sessions.

The media will also be able to get footage of the candidates during the auditorium presentations described above.

For more information, email the Office of Board Governance at governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us or reach out to your school Board member directly to ask questions, provide insights, and share concerns. Your collaboration and support is appreciated!