Dr. Seng-Dao Yang Keo is the deputy superintendent of the Washoe County School District in Nevada. With approximately 62,000 students across more than 100 schools, Washoe County School District is the second-largest school system in the state. The district serves the city of Reno and a county that is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island. Prior to becoming deputy superintendent, Yang Keo was the chief strategy officer at the Nevada Department of Education, where she collaborated with districts and led strategic planning initiatives while administering funds for federal and state programming to support students. In a previous position at the Nevada Department of Education, she was the director of the Office of Student and School Supports. In that role, she coordinated statewide school improvement initiatives for the lowest-performing schools and the most underserved students. She also oversaw the system of targeted and differentiated supports provided to districts through federal and state programs.

Throughout her career, Yang Keo has advanced evidence-based interventions, rigorous evaluations of programs and services, and strategies for continuous improvement. She also worked as a math and student leadership teacher, teacher leader, and administrator at the middle school, high school, and university levels in impoverished communities within the United States and Southeast Asia. Prior to her work in education, she was an investment banking analyst in mergers and acquisitions.

A child of refugees, Yang Keo’s experiences as a Hmong American and first-generation middle school graduate influenced her commitment to educational equity and ensuring all students have access to high-quality schools and the life opportunities they afford. She earned her doctorate in education leadership and a master’s in education policy and management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.S.T. in education from Pace Graduate School, and a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard College.