Children's Literacy Initiative, Chief Executive Officer

The Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) appointed Diana Greene, PhD as its next CEO.

Greene has served in public education for over 37 years, previously holding roles as a classroom teacher, school principal, and, most recently, serving as the Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), the 20th-largest school district in the nation.

A champion of children, families, and educators, Greene oversaw many transformative changes at DCPS. She increased and maintained the district’s highest graduation rates over her five-year tenure, removing all schools from the state’s turnaround list, while cutting the number of low-performing schools by more than half, and leading the transition to remote learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. Greene successfully led the passage of two voter referendums, raising more than $2 billion over 15 years to replace and repair school buildings and increase teacher compensation.

With a deep commitment to social justice and racial healing, Greene also oversaw the renaming of six Duval County public schools that honored Confederate leaders. Diana Greene concluded her exceptional tenure as one of only a handful of Black women in the country serving as superintendents of large school districts. Recently, the Jacksonville Public Library unveiled the Dr. Diana Greene Children’s Reading Place, a literacy center located on its main campus, in recognition of Greene’s contributions as DCPS superintendent and her passion for literacy.

Rebecca Swartz led this search with Karson Freeman and Harley Bartles.

View the full announcement here.