Digital Promise announced today that D’Andre J. Weaver, Ph.D., has been named the organization’s first Chief Digital Equity Officer. In addition to serving as a leading advocate for digital equity, Dr. Weaver will oversee the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program, part of Verizon’s flagship education initiative with a national network of more than 500 Title I schools.
In his new role, Dr. Weaver will use lessons learned from the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program and other Digital Promise initiatives to develop new state- and district-level opportunities for the organization that will further the goal of improving digital equity.
“At Digital Promise, we strive to center our work in equity,” said Jean-Claude Brizard, president and CEO of Digital Promise. “D’Andre shares this core value, as he has been committed to equity and access and advancing digital equity within the schools and districts he has led. He will bring a valuable perspective to our team as we work to improve digital equity at scale.”
“I am absolutely thrilled to join Digital Promise as the new Chief Digital Equity Officer,” Dr. Weaver said. “Improving student outcomes across the U.S. and abroad won’t happen if we don’t permanently close the Digital Learning Gap. There has never been a more critical time when the acceleration of innovation in education has been necessary. Our children need organizations like Digital Promise to champion this movement, and I am excited to be joining such an accomplished team.”
Prior to joining Digital Promise, Dr. Weaver served as the superintendent of DeSoto Independent School District since 2018. Under his leadership, the Dallas-area school system experienced a 12-point gain in state accountability rating and saw increases in student learning, student connectedness, district finances, talent management, and stakeholder engagement. He also spearheaded an ambitious community-driven and learner-centered strategic plan which prioritized a whole-child/whole-family approach to education, as well as an emphasis on personalization, competency-based education, and passion-driven learning.
Before his appointment as superintendent of DeSoto ISD, Dr. Weaver was a community superintendent with Houston-area Spring Branch ISD, a Verizon Innovative Learning Schools alumni district, where he oversaw 20 campuses and principals and was part of a senior leadership team that scaled personalization district-wide, resulting in dramatic increases in student achievement and belonging.
A native of Chicago, Dr. Weaver also served as a Chicago Public Schools principal. He is a board member at the Chicago Public Education Fund and the Mastery Transcript Consortium, and he is a Pahara Fellow, a Racial Equity Leadership Network Fellow, and a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), Men of Color in Educational Leadership (MCEL), and several local and national educator associations. Dr. Weaver holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership from the University of Illinois.
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