PSU announces new Wallace Grant Director Tina Acker

Equity centered principal pipeline key to change in Oregon K-12 education 

Tina Acker

Portland State University’s College of Education is pleased to announce Tina Acker is the new director of the national Wallace Grant in partnership with Portland Public Schools and Lewis and Clark College. The five-year, $8.2 million grant, announced in October 2021, focuses on the development of an equity-centered principal pipeline for Portland-area K-12 schools, growing the national dialogue to improve equity leadership in public education.  

“Our partnership on this Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative is one more step in our collective effort to serve children of every race, ethnicity, home language and socio-economic background,” said professor emerita Susan Carlile, the previous director of the partnership for PSU, and director of the Principal Licensure program, prior to her retirement.

“The work of this grant aligns with the strategic initiatives of our college and the Educational Administration program by recruiting and training future principals who reflect the diversity of Oregon students. I am grateful to Susan Carlile for her vision to partner with PPS on this vital work, and I am thrilled that Tina Acker will direct the project for us now,” said Dr. Tina Peterman, Interim Dean of the College of Education at PSU.

“I am excited to be returning to the place where my journey in education started and having the opportunity to grow and strengthen the program responsible for launching me into my career in education over 25 years ago,” says Tina Acker. “I have been blessed on my journey as a lifelong learner because of all of the adults who believed in me, cared for and supported me, and taught me the importance of learning, so I strive to pay it forward in some way every day. I think I can best be described as an educator whose passion is to positively impact the lives of the children, educators, families, and communities that I serve and support.” 

During her career as an educator in Oregon, Acker has worked as a teacher, instructional specialist, principal, district level administrator, and senior director of professional learning. She has also served as the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) State Representative for Oregon, advocating for students and educators at the state and national levels, and is currently the Chair of the Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators Policy and Advocacy Committee. In addition to her work in Oregon, she was an Administrator Internship Coach at Columbia University Teachers College in New York, and an adjunct faculty member for Concordia University Chicago and Portland, Ore.  

The second youngest of nine, she loved playing school as a child, and was inspired to become a fifth grade teacher by her fifth grade teacher Ms. Deborah Green. “She was one of my role models,” says Acker. In 1997, she was hired to teach fifth grade in Portland Public Schools by Dr. Harriet Adair, another important mentor in her life. As a result of having so many strong mentors in her life starting with her mom, Acker has dedicated most of her career in education to serving as a mentor and coach to teachers and principals. This naturally lends itself to her role in this work at PSU.

“The College of Education’s commitment to the grant and providing support for aspiring principals is encouraging. I’m excited about the future, the innovative thinking, and continuing the momentum of this work. The most meaningful thing we can do as educators, in order to have successful school climates and cultures, is applying what we are learning, being willing to change, and maintaining a focus on improving outcomes for our students and families who are counting on us. I want to be directly involved in supporting the next generation of education leaders and have a lasting impact on the profession,” says Acker. 

###

By Sherron Lumley