Melissa Castillo

Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary

U.S. Department of Education

Dr. Melissa Castillo has over 28 years of experience in education. She currently serves as the Senior Advisor, for the Office of The Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. Before that She served as the Associate Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Arizona Department of Education, responsible for advancing educational opportunities and outcomes for diverse student populations. Dr. Castillo’s professional career includes elementary teacher in dual language and bilingual programs, instructional coach, site and district administrator and educational consultant. Dr. Castillo co-authored the book Language and Literacy for ELLs; Creating Systematic Change for Academic Achievement and contributing author to 99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP®Model. Dr. Castillo continues to work with educators and leaders across the country on planning and implementing asset-based systems, language programs, and instructional practices to meet the needs of diverse learners.