Tonia Holmes-Sutton, Ed.D., NBCT is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). An accomplished educator of twenty years, she previously served as a teacher and leader for the Clark County School District in Southern Nevada and most recently as the State Director for Teach Plus Nevada, leading and supporting teacher leaders in policy and advocacy. She is the founder and executive director of the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute: Empowering Teachers as Leaders & Learners, a professional learning organization for NBCTs and National Board candidates. Dr. Holmes-Sutton is also the principal founder and executive director of the National Board Network for Accomplished Minority Educators (National Board NAME), the first national affiliate network of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. With a passion and purpose to elevate the profession, Tonia commits to excellence in service through education and leadership.
Steadfast in her belief that all children deserve an accomplished, effective teacher, Dr. Holmes-Sutton works to embed accomplished teaching and leading along the professional teaching career continuum, scaling to Board certification. She commits to serve and support educators (preservice, novice, professional, and teacher leaders), through innovative programming and partnerships with district, state, and national education organizations. Leading and serving in such capacities, she strives to create and hold community spaces in which educators can connect, engage, and lead and learn with one another. The Women in Education Twitter Chat (#wocedchat) was envisioned as such an affinity space for Black, Indigenous, Women of Color to embrace and empower one another.
Dr. Holmes-Sutton has served as a Governor-appointed member on the Nevada State Board of Education. She is a Board Director for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the WestEd Board of Directors, and the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Board and is a Board Trustee for the National Teachers Hall of Fame. She is a Jameson Fellow and a Steering Committee Leader for Compassionate Las Vegas. Additionally, she serves as a Bright Morning Ambassador for author and international education leader, Elena Aguilar. Tonia earned her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts, Social Sciences from Hawaii Loa College. She later earned her master’s degree in Special Education (Early Childhood Education) and her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), at which she is recognized as the 2020 College of Education Alumna of the Year. Living in eight states and abroad, Tonia has made Las Vegas, Nevada home with her husband and daughter.