Ector County ISD announced on Thursday Chief Technology Officer Dr. Kellie Wilks is the recipient of the Grace Hopper “Outstanding CTO of the Year” award from Texas Education Technology Leaders. This honor is given annually to a district CTO who best represents the model of leadership set forward by Grace Hopper, a pioneer of computer programming and leader as a U.S. Navy Rear Admiral.
“Dr. Wilks exemplifies our school district’s commitment to leading in our community and in our industry,” said ECISD Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri in a press release. “She is passionate that technology is critical to support and enhance high-quality teaching, and she is determined to ensure all of our students and staff members have those tools they need to be successful. We are very proud of the work she has done, and is doing, for ECISD and Ector County.”
As Chief Technology Officer, Wilks has demonstrated outstanding leadership in using information technologies to increase opportunities for student learning in ways that have made a positive impact on ECISD. Wilks is actively involved in initiatives to bridge the digital divide in her community, such as the ConnEctor Taskforce, which brought together community leaders from education, higher education, and government officials to make broadband available to Ector County. She also worked with the Digital Inclusion Team at the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in their Community Initiative: Advancing Digital Inclusion.
Wilks has a deep understanding of how technology can be used to improve instruction and student outcomes, as well as the ability to effectively communicate this vision to others. She has led the district’s technology division in its work to share strategies for successfully integrating digital learning tools across the district. Wilks was instrumental in securing partnerships and funding to bring internet access to Ector County. She worked collaboratively with stakeholders and was a part of the core team that brought SpaceX to very rural areas of Ector County.
These initiatives significantly affected classroom learning and helped change the mindset of what teaching and learning could look like in Ector County. As a result of these efforts and their impact on families in the community, Wilks was featured in numerous publications, including Texas Monthly.
TETL (formerly Texas K-12 CTO Council) is a chapter of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and is the premier organization for technology leaders in Texas K-12 school districts.
