OKLAHOMA CITY — Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi this month will welcome new Deputy State Superintendent of Academic Affairs Chris Caram to the state Department of Education.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Caram join us,” Barresi said. “She brings such well-rounded leadership skills to our team with her background stretching from being a classroom teacher to helping lead several school districts across the nation.
“She also brings a great deal of technology knowledge that will help propel us further into our 21st Century learning model as we strive to make every student in the state college, career and citizen-ready.”
Caram said she feels her combination of public school leadership, university experiences, as well as experience in educational organizations, has given her opportunities in leading educational change.
“High expectations, restructuring organizations for optimal performance, a collaborative leadership style, and a strong commitment to excellence have been hallmark in my administrative practices,” she said.
Caram is from Oklahoma, graduating from Putnam City High School, and receiving her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and her Master’s in School Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Oklahoma.
She is certified as a superintendent and secondary and elementary principal in the state and also holds a technology center administrator credential from the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
Since 2009, Caram has been the director of education for the Arkansas Educational Television Network, working with the Arkansas Department of Education. There, she led the ArkansasIDEAS initiative - the only statewide, high-quality, comprehensive online professional development portal in the nation.
Caram has previously worked as an associate professor of educational leadership at Western Carolina University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She served in several states in central office positions including deputy superintendent for instruction with Gaston County Schools in North Carolina and assistant superintendent and director of elementary education in Arkansas districts. Caram began her career and worked as a teacher and principal in the Mid-Del School District.
“I am very excited to be returning home,” Caram said.
