Short Bio: As executive director of the Institute for School Partnership, Victoria May works closely with faculty to improve teaching and learning in K-12 schools. A strong believer in the power of partnerships among universities, education organizations and schools, she has developed numerous opportunities for teacher professional development and programs to help all students learn through investigation and exploration.
Victoria May is the executive director of the Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis. The Institute is Washington University’s signature program to strategically improve teaching and learning within the K-12 education community. Through the ISP, local schools are connected with a world class research university, teachers are inspired with new knowledge and teachers and students are empowered with exemplar resources.
Vicki has worked for over twenty years linking WashU faculty members and programs with local schools and the community. Current areas of focus include school and teacher leadership, development of engaging STEM instructional materials and programs, and strategic university-school partnerships for increased student achievement. She has served as principal investigator or co-Investigator on grants supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Monsanto Fund, The Boeing Company, and MasterCard Worldwide.
Vicki serves as a board member of the Missouri Mathematics, Engineering, Technology, and Science Coalition and the executive director of STEMpact. She has received several awards for educational partnership work including the St. Louis Academy of Science Educator Award, Focus St. Louis’ What’s Right with the Region Award, and Missouri Excellence in Education Award.
Vicki began her career as a research scientist in biochemistry at Washington University School of Medicine where she worked on understanding the mechanisms of how proteins are processed in energy transformations in a cell. After a few years in this position, Vicki decided to pursue her desire to teach chemistry. Her experience as a high school teacher at University City provides the perspective and passion for her work. She believes that teaching in the K-12 public schools is amazingly difficult and rewarding and that a single teacher can change the lives of many students. This has led her in a pathway toward advocating for classroom resources, teacher mentoring, and leadership opportunities.
Contact Vicki about:
- Charter public school sponsorship
- STEMpact
- Transformational Leadership Initiative
Institute for School Partnership launches to improve teaching, learning in K-12