With the unanimous support of the State Board of Education, Paolo DeMaria begins today as Ohio’s 38th superintendent of public instruction.
“Education defines our future as individuals, as a community, as a state and as a nation,” said Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public instruction. “It’s an exciting time for education in Ohio, and I look forward to engaging with our families, teachers, administrators, policy makers and advocates to help guide our work at the department.”
DeMaria returns to the Ohio Department of Education with nearly 30 years of experience in school finance and promoting higher student achievement, college readiness and completion, and school choice for families. He is an unabashed cheerleader for Ohio’s public schools, having sent his own children to Columbus City Schools and The Graham School.
At the department, he previously served as associate superintendent for the Center for School Options and Finance, where he supervised the distribution of more than $7 billion annually to 
Ohio’s K-12 school districts and developed policies and legislative recommendations on school finance and educational choices for families. All told, DeMaria has a 25-year record of public service for the state of Ohio, having formerly served as a staff member in the Ohio Senate, assistant director and director of Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management and as chief policy advisor to former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft.
DeMaria earned his bachelor of arts, summa cum laude, from Furman University of Greenville, South Carolina, and a master’s of public administration from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. He lives with his wife, Patty, and their cats in the Schumacher Place neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, and often bicycles to work. The DeMarias have two grown children, Sara and Tristan.
The Ohio Department of Education oversees the state’s public education system, which includes nearly 3,600 public schools and more than 1.6 million students. The department also monitors educational service centers, other regional education providers, early learning and childcare programs, and private schools.
Click here to view Paolo’s bio.
