Associate Superintendents of Schools

Carlettra Stanford, Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools

Carlettra Stanford has served as Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools for the past four years. Prior to this role, she had the honor of being the Principal of Mendota Elementary School, one of MMSD’s first community schools, for 10 years. With over 29 years of dedication to MMSD, Ms. Stanford has held a myriad roles including principal, school-wide facilitator, literacy coach, and teacher.

Ms. Stanford is an MMSD alumna, graduating from Madison East High School, home of the Purgolders. She went on to attend the prestigious Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, before earning her Master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership.

An active community member, she has served on numerous committees and boards. Her contributions to the community, the field of education, and promotion of educational equity have been acknowledged through many awards and recognitions, including the Luminaira Award for Leadership for Equity and Excellence, Lois Gadd Nemec Outstanding Alumnae Award, Milt McPike Education Award, nominee for MMSD Principal of the Year, and most recently Charles Hamilton Houston Institute Difference Maker Award for Outstanding Service in Education. She has also presented at various national educational conferences focused on literacy and educational equity.

Dr. Deborah Hoffman, Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools

Dr. Hoffman joined the Associate Superintendent team this summer. She moved into this position after serving as Principal of Lincoln Elementary from 2007-2022, and Principal of Franklin Elementary from 1996-2007.  Prior to her leadership positions, Dr. Hoffman was a classroom teacher and learning coordinator for four years at Hopkins Street School in Milwaukee Public Schools.

She received her PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and a master's degree in educational administration, both from the University of Wisconsin Madison. She holds another master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, both from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. The focus of her research and practice has been, and continues to be, social justice leadership within K-12 public education.

Her honors and awards include being featured in a documentary for the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness in Work in 2016; the Distinguished Service Award for Madison Metropolitan School District in 2011; the Milken Educator Award in 2000; the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive School Reform Promising Site, 2000; as well as the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive School Reform Grant, 1998.

In addition, she has had several publications and invited presentations on equity in schools, both locally and nationally, including Leading for Social Justice presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, with Dr. Colleen Capper, in 2007.

Her personal life includes two sons who have been MMSD students from kindergarten through graduation. Her eldest son is now a teacher at Leopold, and her younger son is in college. 

Chelsey Tubbs (she/ella/nws), Deputy Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools

With two decades of experience as an educator, Chelsey Tubbs has served in the role of Deputy Associate Superintendent of Elementary Schools for the past four years. In 2020, she was nominated for MMSD’s Excellence with Equity: Schools at the Center award.  Her previous role in MMSD was as an elementary school improvement partner.  Born and raised in Beloit, Wisconsin, she fondly remembers playing high school athletics against Madison teams.

Seventeen years ago, Madison became home for the Tubbs family.  Her father led as the Chief of the Capitol Police, including during Act 10; her mother, a retired school nurse, devoted her time in supporting and leading community wide efforts for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD); and two of her brothers graduated from Madison Memorial High School.  After graduating from Beloit College, she pursued her career in New York City, New York.  She promised to return equipped with best practices in order to make a positive difference at home for all students, and especially historically marginalized communities.

During her time in New York, Ms. Tubbs was a public school teacher, principal, and adjunct lecturer, working in the South Bronx, Harlem, and Brooklyn, in elementary (including preK) and middle schools.  As both a teacher and leader, she was recognized for eradicating achievement/opportunity gaps.  She received awards and recognitions including being selected as a model Columbia University’s Teachers College classroom for Literacy Instruction. She was also a recipient of the New York City's Chancellor's Big Apple Award for Teacher Excellence, and was nominated for the Governor’s New York Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award.

Ms. Tubbs holds an M.Ed. from Columbia University’s Teachers College in Education Leadership, an M.S. from Pace University in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and a B.A. from Beloit College in Political Science and Education and Youth Studies.  She is currently a doctoral student in the Urban Education Leaders Program at Columbia University’s Teachers College.