Mr. Thomas M. Brady - DoDEA Director
Thomas M. Brady is the Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Mr. Brady became the Director on March 12, 2014. As DoDEA’s Director, Mr. Brady has oversight of all Defense Department K-12 schools, both state-side and overseas. DoDEA operates 160 schools in 8 districts, serving more than 69,688 students.
Mr. Brady has extensive experience as an educational leader, most recently as a former Superintendent of Providence, Rhode Island Public Schools. Prior to his leadership of Providence Public Schools, he was the Chief Executive Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, and Chief Operating Officer for the Fairfax County Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools.
Under Mr. Brady’s leadership of Providence Public Schools, the largest district in Rhode Island serving more than 24,000 students in 45 schools, student achievement and proficiency improved in mathematics, science, and reading. He also created a comprehensive reform plan for the city’s most under-performing schools.
Faced with operational budget deficits in the School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school system in the country, serving nearly 200,000 students in more than 260 schools, Mr. Brady initiated and began implementation of strategic and business plans that reduced operating budget shortfalls nearly 90%. As the Chief Operating Officer for the District of Columbia Public Schools, a system with more than 75,000 students and over 200 schools, he secured more than $3.1 billion for capital improvements over a ten-year period.
Serving as the Chief Operating Officer for Fairfax County Public Schools, the 12th largest school system in the United States with more than 180,000 students, Mr. Brady led the school system’s human resources, finance, facilities, transportation services, and information technology divisions.
Mr. Brady’s commitment to public service is not limited to the education sector. He served as a commissioned officer for 25 years in the United States Army. Highlights of his military career include serving as the Commanding Officer, Fort Belvoir, VA, and a battalion commander at Fort Benning, GA.
Mr. Brady earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (Social Sciences) from Niagara University in New York and his Master of Arts degree in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University in California. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a graduate of the Eli Broad Superintendents Academy.
Mr. Brady is married to Lisa Brady, a registered labor and delivery nurse, for 44 years. They have five children and eight grand-children. DoDEA schools have played a significant role in Mr. Brady’s family. His wife, Lisa, attended DoDEA schools as have all of his children and two of his grandchildren.
