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As the Chief Operations Officer, Dr. Tonya Horton oversees EL Education’s Internal Enterprise Division which includes finance, human resources, business operations, internal communications, strategy & planning, technology, real estate and legal. In this role, Tonya focuses on ensuring that the organization has the systems and structures that support its crew as they work towards excellent, equitable outcomes for all students.
Most recently, Tonya served as the Executive Vice President of Central Operations at TNTP where she oversaw all internal business functions. While at TNTP, served in multiple roles including client-focused roles as a Partner and Vice President and internally as the Executive Vice President for Talent and Culture. As the EVP of Talent and Culture, Tonya led the creation of the organization’s Accelerating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy.
Before joining TNTP, Tonya served as the President of Teaching Trust, a leadership development nonprofit in Dallas, Texas. In 2008, Tonya joined the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s District and School Transformation Division where she served as a High School Portfolio Manager supporting 16 turnaround high schools and then as a District Transformation Coach for superintendents. Prior to her work in North Carolina, Tonya was a teacher and administrator in Plano, Texas.
In her professional and personal life, Tonya is focused on ending systemic inequities. To this ends she serves as a Patient Advocate with the Arthritis Foundation, Chair of the Arthritis Foundation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee, a member of the Arthritis Foundation’s Patient Leadership Council, and the Vice Chair for the New Jersey Arthritis Foundation Leadership Board. Tonya has also represented the Arthritis Foundation as a Peer Reviewer in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Panel (CDMRP). She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc where she serves in leadership positions on the local and regional level with a focus on social action. Tonya is also the designer and lead instructor for Rutgers University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program for Public Managers. This program won the 2021 University Professional and Continuing Education Association’s (UPCEA) Mid-Atlantic Region’s Outstanding Program Award.
Tonya began her career as a teacher in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds a BA in history education and MA in history from North Carolina Central University; an MPA from Rutgers University and an MEd and EdD in educational leadership from the University of North Texas.
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