Goddard Systems, LLC (GSL), manager of The Goddard School franchise system, is honored to welcome Dr. Valerie Truesdale to its Educational Advisory Board (EAB). The EAB is comprised of a diversely skilled group of educators, researchers, physicians and early childhood experts who work closely with GSL’s education team to ensure The Goddard School’s individualized learning program is consistently at the forefront of early childhood research and development.
“The Educational Advisory Board is a core differentiator that truly sets The Goddard School apart from any other early childhood education provider in the country,” said Dr. Lauren Starnes, senior vice president and chief academic officer, GSL. “The EAB enables us to take our educational programming to the next level with research and support from key experts. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dr. Truesdale to the EAB and look forward to fully leveraging her unrivaled education policy expertise to further solidify Goddard’s academic program as the best of the best.”
A nationally renowned education policy expert, Dr. Truesdale has more than three decades of leadership experience and currently serves as the assistant executive director of the School Superintendents Association. She has spent the bulk of her career in the South Carolina public school system, including stints as a teacher, principal, chief instructional services officer and superintendent. She previously led the policy division of the South Carolina State Department of Education, supervising student assessment, educator licensure, technology services and policy. Before joining the School Superintendents Association, Dr. Truesdale served as the chief technology and transformation officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina.
“While my career has been focused on the K-12 setting, I’ve always appreciated the immense value and impact of early childhood education and I am so excited to support the nation’s premier early childhood provider,” said Dr. Truesdale. “I am thrilled to bring a unique perspective to Goddard and help shape its best-in-class academic program.”
Dr. Truesdale holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Clemson University, an M.B.A. in marketing from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of South Carolina. She is a past president of the International Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and was the first recipient of the national Women in School Leadership Award, conferred by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in 2011.
