Ms. Evans-Tranumn retired last year as associate commissioner of education for the New York State Education Department, Office of New York City School and Community Services. She worked four decades in the education system, including 16 years as a junior and senior high school English teacher and assistant principal in New York City. She also served four years as director of Auxiliary Services for High Schools in New York, the largest alternative high school program in the country. She currently is executive director of a New York City charter school and consults with the countries of Denmark and Sweden on performance-based management. Ms. Evans-Tranumn serves on numerous boards and commissions that address education, race and gender issues, and has received more than 100 awards recognizing her contributions. She has all credits toward a Ph.D. in English at New York University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Medgar Evers College in New York City. She earned a master's degree in English education at Long Island University and a bachelor's degree in English at North Carolina Central University.