Superintendent's Welcome

Dear MMSD Community,

It is a privilege to serve as your Superintendent of Schools! Madison holds a special place in my heart - I am a proud UW-Madison graduate and began my administrative career at MMSD as associate principal of Memorial High School.

With this role comes a tremendous responsibility. Throughout our district's journey toward excellence, we will work hard to keep our students at the center of our operations, as we continue engaging and supporting students, staff, families, and community members. Also, our district will remain grounded by our strategic framework goals and core values. 

Our schools are the cornerstone of our community. We are extremely grateful to our community for supporting the 2020 referenda. This community investment will allow MMSD to continue moving forward as we strengthen our commitment to graduating all students ready for college, careers, and community, while attending to their social-emotional needs.

Our children deserve the very best! We are working to improve educational outcomes for our students along with supporting the diverse needs of our families. We are also on a journey to becoming an anti-racist school district. As we look toward the future, we are excited about all we can accomplish by continuing to work together in collaboration and kindness. 

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Carlton D. Jenkins, Ph.D.
Superintendent

Biography

Carlton D. Jenkins, Ph.D., has served as Superintendent of Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) since August 2020. MMSD serves over 27,000 students (52 schools) in Madison, Wisconsin.

Dr. Jenkins came to the district from Robbinsdale Area Schools, where he served as
Superintendent for five years (2015-2020). Robbinsdale Area Schools serves over 13,200
students (11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools) in seven suburbs
northwest of Minneapolis. Prior to this appointment, he served for one year (2014-2015) as Chief Academic Officer of the Atlanta public school system (52,000 students). Previously, he spent four years (2010-2014) as the superintendent of the Saginaw Public Schools, a district in Michigan with 8,600 students (15 schools, including 10 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 3 high schools). While in Michigan, he served as President of the state’s African American
Superintendents Association.

Previously, Dr. Jenkins served successfully in a variety of teaching, administrative, and
leadership roles. He spent four years as the Executive Director of Secondary Leaders (6-12) and high school principal in the Beloit (Wisconsin) Public Schools. Prior to this assignment, Dr.
Jenkins served as a high school principal for eight years in the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools.
His experience also includes serving as middle school principal and associate high school
principal in the Beloit Public Schools as well as an associate high school principal in the
Madison (Wisconsin) Public Schools. Dr. Jenkins began his illustrious career in 1989 at Beloit
Memorial High School as a physical education teacher.

Dr. Jenkins possesses impressive educational credentials. After earning a Bachelor of Science
degree in Physical Education from Mississippi Valley State University, he earned a Master of
Science degree in Educational Administration as well as a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and
Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Throughout his career, Dr. Jenkins has impacted policy and practice as an educational and
business consultant. Some of his work has included consulting on turnaround school
transformation as well as leadership strategies for Fortune Fifty companies. In fact, he previously served as National Executive Director for Project Grad’s Secondary Schools Transformation Model.

In addition to his educational and professional accomplishments, Dr. Jenkins has also exhibited a commitment to professional and community service throughout his career. One of his current
service commitments involves serving as a mentor for the AASA Urban Superintendents
Academy.