Carla Santorno is the former Superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools, now serving as Superintendent on Special Assignment providing transition assistance to the new Superintendent and furthering the District’s equity initiatives. She is a national award-winning superintendent and led an academic improvement effort that increased the Tacoma Public Schools graduation rate to 89.9 from 55 percent when she joined the district in 2009 as deputy superintendent. Connecting with all the players in the district – from parents to teachers, food service workers, bus drivers and custodial staff, has been a part of her vision to create an aligned focus from classroom to classroom and school to school. Prior to serving in Tacoma, Carla also served in the Boulder Valley, Denver, and Seattle Public School systems.