WE Celebrate: Dusty Blakey
Dusty Blakey, Ed.D., became the first African American Superintendent of the Colonial School District on June 26, 2014. Prior to his appointment as Superintendent, Dr. Blakey served as a Director of Schools for Colonial. His other administrative duties with the district included Assistant Principal and Deputy Principal at William Penn High School; Principal at Gunning Bedford Middle School; and Director of Personnel.
Dr. Blakey received his undergraduate degree from Morgan State University; a master’s degree from the University of Delaware in Educational Leadership, and a doctorate in Administration and Public Policy also from the University of Delaware. In 2018, Dr. Blakey was named President of the Delaware Chief School Officers Association. Additionally, in 2016, he was inducted into the Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame for his success as an outstanding high school wrestler and coach.
During Blakey’s tenure, Colonial adopted a mantra called the “Power of WE”. Its four pillars symbolize what Blakey deems as most important in building a strong school district; early education, leadership, and learning, innovation, along with access and opportunity. Blakey encouraged and empowered staff at every level to think outside of the box in order to reach and teach students. He strongly believed in building community, legislative, and business partnerships to strengthen schools. Blakey also stressed the importance of engaging parents and guardians in the social, emotional, and educational journey of students. Among Blakey’s projects that were brought to fruition was the opening of the first Wellness Centers in elementary schools, the re-opening of the planetarium at McCullough Middle School, and the transformation of the library to a state-of-the-art Innovation Center at William Penn High School. Under his leadership, Penn Farm became the largest student-run farm in the country that supports Colonial’s culinary arts programs, supplies fresh produce to school cafeterias, and to the community.
Blakey gained a national reputation as a visionary in education and is viewed as the cornerstone of bringing 21st-century learning to the Colonial School District. #BlackHistoryMonth2021 #EquityCSD #powerofwecsd