Colleagues know Paolo DeMaria as a passionate leader, a tireless worker, a respectful listener and a man with a great sense of humor. All are qualities he calls on daily as he supports Ohio’s 3,600 public schools and 1.7 million students. He is an enthusiastic cheerleader and energetic advocate for Ohio’s public schools.
In his four years as Ohio’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mr. DeMaria’s proudest accomplishment is the collaborative development of Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education. He is committed to the role that education plays in meeting the needs of the whole child to accomplish the plan’s vision: Each child is challenged to discover and learn, prepared to pursue a fulfilling post-high school path and empowered to become a resilient, lifelong learner who contributes to society. He celebrates the importance and service of teachers and values equity, school leadership, effective instructional practices, continuous improvement, data analysis and broad partnerships.
Mr. DeMaria has focused on education policy and improvement during most of his 28 years of public service. His career has included service as the Senior Fiscal Analyst of the Ohio Senate, Director of Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management, Chief Policy Advisor to former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and Executive Vice Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. He previously worked for the Ohio Department of Education as Associate Superintendent of the Center for School Options and Finance. Prior to becoming State Superintendent, he was Principal Consultant with Education First Consulting.
Born in West Virginia to European parents, Mr. DeMaria is the product of the public education systems of Easton, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; Scotch Plains, New Jersey; and Greenville, South Carolina. His children attended the public schools of Columbus and the Graham School, a public charter school.
Mr. DeMaria earned his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Furman University of Greenville, South Carolina, and a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
His honors include The Ohio State University Alumni Association’s Distinguished State Government Service Award, the Ohio Government Finance Officers Association Timothy I. Murphy Excellence in Government Award, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials President’s Award and being named by Columbus Business First Magazine as one of 20 [People] to Know in Education.
Presenter for the following INFOhio webinars:
