Kathy Hoffman

Kathy Hoffman started her career as a teacher and was elected to serve as Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2018. Her advocacy for students was fostered while working in special education serving students with disabilities. In her role as a speech language pathologist, she worked as a part of a multidisciplinary team in the Vail School District and Peoria Unified School District. Kathy was motivated to run for office to elevate the voices of educators to inform statewide policies and ensure that all students could achieve their full potential.

In her role as the leader for the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and champion for public education, Kathy has worked tirelessly to improve students’ access to mental health supports and provide resources for teachers across the state. Kathy brought steady leadership for Arizona's schools during the pandemic by partnering with public health experts, collaboratively addressing the technology needs for virtual instruction, and allocating federal funds to accelerate student learning.

Kathy transitioned to Arizona State University in 2022 to focus on transforming special education systems through collaboration and challenging the status quo. Kathy co-leads a multidisciplinary collaborative (Project OASIS) of over 200 members to tackle, “What is the future of special education?” Project OASIS (Optimizing Access for Students in Schools) aims to improve lifelong outcomes for students with disabilities and learning differences through research, professional learning, and collaboration. 

In addition, Kathy co-leads the ASU Education Futures Roundtable for Superintendents, which brings together superintendents, ASU faculty, and education leaders to learn from each other and proactively tackle the most pressing issues in K-12 school districts. 

As an educator and mother of two young children, Kathy firmly believes that Arizona’s future starts in our schools and she is dedicated to developing new strategies for moving public education forward.