![Maggie Gurley Maggie Gurley](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/dc/sites/dcps/biography_content/images/Maggie%20Thomas%20sized%20for%20website%20V2.jpg?itok=RCEjW-1y)
Maggie brings nearly 20 years of service to students and staff across the District, from a proud Simon Elementary School teacher to a central services administrator, talent leader, and Chief of Staff.
In her talent development work, Maggie worked with an extraordinary team to strategically utilize talent as a lever for equity. She pursued equity in a multitude of ways, from orchestrating the annual Summer Leadership Institute and hosting nationally recognized, equity subject matter experts such as Dr. Ibram Kendi and Ta-nehisi Coates, to working relentlessly to recruit and retain an educator work force that is representative of our student population. Under her leadership, for instance, 18% of hired teachers were males of color, compared to the national average of 2%.
Additionally, Maggie spearheaded efforts that resulted in MD传媒官方 being awarded the grant for nearly $30 million from the Department of Education to support educator effectiveness in our highest need schools. This was the highest amount awarded in 2020 across the entire nation and the grant, titled RISE: Rigorous Instruction Supports Equity, will allow DCPS to provided targeted professional development opportunities, performance-based compensation awards, specialized instructional coaching, school leader residencies, and a reimagined novice teacher experience in our schools most impacted by past and present systemic bias. These team efforts garnered attention from school districts across the country and national philanthropy organizations such as the , as they highlighted Maggie’s work as a model for virtual hiring.
Maggie’s team was a recent finalist for the Cafritz Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees, she has been nominated for the Sue Lehmann National Award for Excellence in Teaching, she’s a past recipient of the DCPS Central Office Leader of the Year Award, and she was highlighted in an NPR broadcast, "Testing Teachers: Good Teachers on Good Teaching."
Maggie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from American University, and studied urban and regional planning and development at the University of Havana, Cuba. Additionally, Maggie holds an Executive Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.