Insights
Interview with Dr. Tenneal Wetherell, Deputy Director of Operations at ODE
Dr. Tenneal Wetherell serves as the Deputy Director of Operations at the Oregon Department of Education. Previously, she was chief of staff to state director Dr. Charlene Williams. Dr. Wetherell began her career as a special education teacher and administrator, then served as superintendent of South Coast Education Service District in Coos Bay for 10 years.
In February she held a Q&A session with Northwest Comprehensive Center co-director Dr. Cortney Rowland at a meeting of Center staff and partners. The following is an edited version of their conversation.
Dr. Rowland: Thank you for being here. We’re excited to learn from you. As Deputy Director of Operations, what is your day-to-day or weekly life like?
Dr. Wetherell: Thank you for having me. Practically, this job involves 11–12 hour days, 17–23 meetings a day, 200 emails or pings a day. This means I can feel like a ping-pong ball, jumping to a different topic every 15–30 minutes.
As far as daily life, as deputy director you’re operating at the intersection of policy, politics, product, and people all day long. People need something from you—ranging from minor to huge—and I’m also analyzing products and checking in with teams.
For policy and products, there are multiple competing priorities and requirements, so my job is to be aware of those and find ways to achieve balance.
Dr. Rowland: You’ve worked at all levels of the education system. What is the role of the state education agency in that system?
Dr. Wetherell: Our job is to remain grounded in state education policy and law. We make sure people have the technical assistance and support they need to do their best work. It’s not about answering questions or providing solutions, because school districts have their own policies and decision-making processes. We create structures, links, tools, and strategies so that education leaders, educators, and support staff can be successful.
That means our role is often to be a neutral liaison. It can include going to the legislature and letting them know what’s happening and what people need.
In my role, I have to understand how operations affect schools, students, family members, and community members. For instance, if the Oregon Department of Transportation is making decisions about roads, ODE should be in that conversation, because anything that will affect the price point of buses will impact our districts and schools.
Dr. Rowland: What do you see as the purpose of the Comprehensive Center program?
Dr. Wetherell: There are a variety of federally funded technical assistance centers, but Comprehensive Centers are different. Comprehensive Centers serve as thought partners or coaches. We co-develop projects—otherwise you’re just working on products—and the relationship piece is critical.
State education agency leaders don’t always have the space to envision or design the capacity-building support [the Northwest Comprehensive Center] provides for us. It’s just not possible to design, plan, implement, and connect in all the ways we want to. You can help me connect pieces.
And you gently push! That’s where the relationship piece comes in. I can trust you to say the hard and necessary things and help us move.
Dr. Rowland: What does capacity-building mean to you?
Dr. Wetherell: For me, capacity-building is helping us get the structures and systems right. I use what I call the so that test. When I’m working on something that feels far removed from the classroom or community, I ask myself, “I’m doing this so that what happens?” Then I keep asking so that until I can connect the work to students, families, communities, and ultimately all Oregonians. If I can’t make that connection, then I need to rethink the work, shift my focus, or change the approach.
At the state level, we spend a lot of time working on systems, policy, processes, and infrastructure. Those things matter, but only if there is a clear trajectory from that work to the people we serve. We might be creating a structure, revising a process, or building a system, but the question is always: so that what?
For me, capacity-building is helping create the conditions, structures, and systems that allow districts and schools to be successful, so that educators can be successful, so that students and communities get what they need. The so that trajectory is the through-line. All of our work should ultimately improve the lives of Oregonians.
For me, capacity-building is helping create the conditions, structures, and systems that allow districts and schools to be successful, so that educators can be successful, so that students and communities get what they need.
Dr. Rowland: There’s a systems-level approach to doing this work, and it can be hard to make a connection between systems and improving teaching and learning. Is the so that principle how you get yourself there?
Dr. Wetherell: I need to know that the actions I’m taking are making a difference in the lives of children and families, and all Oregonians. You can get too far into a system and lose that connection. When we’re working on something like Division 22/24 standards revision, we’re creating a structure for our state agency to run effectively and support districts and schools in their work, for instance, to get kids reading. And you all help us make those connections so that districts and schools, and ultimately kids, get what they need.