Dr. Tamara Willis

Dr. Tamara C. WillisSuperintendent of Schools | Educator | Author | SpeakerDr. Tamara C. Willis is a systems leader known for advancing innovation, equity, and organizational excellence in public education. Since 2017, she has served as Superintendent of the Susquehanna Township School District in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania— the most diverse school district in the nation (Niche.com). She is the first African American superintendent in the district’s 115-year history and of the most senior superintendents in her region. Dr. Willis leads a district of more than 3,200 students and 400 staff, overseeing strategy across academics, finance, operations, and capital planning. Through a distributive and transformational leadership approach, she has strengthened fiscal stability, elevated instructional practice, and expanded equitable opportunities for all learners.Her leadership has garnered national attention. Through strategic partnerships with HP during the pandemic, she spearheaded innovative STEM initiatives that led to national recognition, including a Microsoft Customer Story highlighting the district’s commitment to tech innovation. She has also been featured twice as a speaker in HP’s American Reinventors Series.Dr. Willis is a sought-after speaker and thought partner, having presented at national and state convenings including the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Aurora Institute Symposium, and the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. She is a contributing author to the Amazon best-selling book STEM Century: It Takes a Village to Raise a 21st Century Graduate and has been featured in Time.com article discussing the cooperative efforts between ETS and the Carnegie Foundation to revolutionize learner assessment methods. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Willis began her career as an elementary principal and advanced through district leadership as an Assistant Superintendent and curriculum leader. She has also contributed to higher education as an adjunct professor at Temple University, Wilson College, and Saint Francis University, and currently serves as a Leadership Fellow at Shippensburg University, preparing future educational leaders.Her professional affiliations include the Transcend Education Leadership Fellowship (Cohort 3) and Leading Now (Cohort 17), and she continues to support Transcend’s inaugural Superintendent’s Fellowship cohort. She also serves on several nonprofit and higher education boards, including the United Way of the Capital Region, the Hanna Education Foundation, and Pennsylvania State University Parents and Children Together (PACT) Community Advisory Board.Dr. Willis has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Harrisburg Area Community College, recognition as an Education Champion from Central Pennsylvania by Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania, and acknowledgment from U.S. Senator Bob Casey during Women’s History Month.She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Temple University, a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility from California University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S.E. in Elementary and Special Education from Millersville University.