Pam Delfosse2024 State Supervisor of the Year
Pam Delfosse, World Language and Global Education Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, has been named the 2024State Supervisor of the Year by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
Delfosse collaborates state, tribal, national, and international partners to promote and provide systems of support for language, intercultural, and global learning. She recently led the integration of a Standard for Global Competence within Wisconsin’s Career Readiness Standards, improved data collection for world language programs, and secured industry-recognized credential status for the Seal of Biliteracy and Certificate of Global Competence within Wisconsin’s academic and career planning pathways..
Paul Sandrock, retired ACTFL Director of Education and Senior Advisor for Language Learning Initiatives, who nominated Ms. Delfosse for the Supervisor of the Year Award, shares, “Pam has well-honed leadership skills of focusing a vision, providing deep analysis, developing collegial support, and monitoring progress. Pam consistently used these skills to achieve goals and was comfortable guiding any major adaptations or revisions along the way, knowing that the final outcome would be stronger because of it.”
Early in her work at DPI, Pam worked with many collaborating partners across the state to create a vision for world language education in Wisconsin. She researched and analyzed professional issues, developed DPI budget initiatives (heritage language support and elementary school world language), secured a grant to support world language programs in elementary schools, and analyzed teacher preparation needs as she conducted teacher preparation program reviews. Pam is able to frame the big picture, identify specific activities to achieve it, and then guarantee success by attending to the impact on policy, integrating with other internal and external efforts, and building the necessary relationships and support structures.
Ms. Delfosse has a Masters in Educational Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has qualifications as a principal and director of instruction, and is a former teacher of Japanese and English as a Second Language. 32 years in educational leadership, including service to the National Foreign Language Center and the Madison Metropolitan School District, inform her commitment to equity in access to the benefits of multilingualism and global competence. Pam values collaborative leadership and innovation for educational policies, programs, and practices that center learner identities, needs, and interests.