Deborah Wortham

Dr. Deborah L. Wortham is a nationally recognized educational leader, executive coach, and best-selling author whose career spans more than four decades of transformative service in public education. Deborah currently provides executive coaching to superintendents across the country through Leading Now and the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. 

Dr. Wortham summarized her career in Baltimore, Maryland, by serving as the Area Academic Officer overseeing 24 high schools in Baltimore City Public Schools and coordinator of the nationally recognized Success for All. That success led to serving as Superintendent of Schools in five school districts across New York and Pennsylvania, including a historic tenure as the first African American female superintendent of the East Ramapo Central School District, where she led all 12 K–8 schools to “Good Standing” status. She is celebrated for her capacity to set a tone of excellence, cultivate collaborative school cultures, and inspire lasting academic improvement. Most recently, she led the Roosevelt Union Free School District out of state oversight (2015) and again into a new era of success before retiring in 2024. 

A native of Chicago and a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Dr. Wortham holds advanced degrees from Morgan State University and Nova Southeastern University, including an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. She received a certification as an executive coach from the University of Pennsylvania and is a sought-after speaker on leadership, the leader’s role in creating a culture of excellence, transformation, faith, and educational reform. Her latest book, Setting the Atmosphere: Beliefs, Practices, and Protocols for Faith-Filled Educational Leaders, was featured in AASA’s Administrator Journal and lauded for its bold vision of spiritually grounded leadership in schools. She is also the co-author of the acclaimed STEM Century: It Takes a Village to Raise a 21st-Century Graduate. 

Dr. Wortham is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2025 Women to Watch, 2022 Sojourner Truth Award, and the Kujichagulia Leadership Award, as well as recognition as the 2024 National Finalist for the AASA Women in School Leadership/Superintendent Award. She has been named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Educators in New York State and continues to mentor emerging leaders across the nation.