(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty named the final major appointment of his education team.  Fenty named Tonya Vidal Kinlow as the first-ever Ombudsman for Public Education for the District of Columbia.  As Ombudsman, Ms. Kinlow will be the city’s face of customer service for education and will assist parents and students with questions and problems within District of Columbia Public Schools, Public Charter Schools, The University of the District of Columbia and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education.

Tonya Vidal Kinlow, Ombudsman for Public Education
Prior to her appointment by Mayor Fenty as Ombudsman for Public Education, Tonya Vidal Kinlow served as vice president for government relations at the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA).  Ms. Kinlow also served as an appointed member and vice president of the District of Columbia State Board of Education.  She is the current vice chair of the board of DC Voice, an organization working to ensure that every child in the District gets a high-quality public education.  Her active involvement in the public policy arena, both professionally and as a citizen, reflects her belief that effective government can be a catalyst for helping communities and individuals achieve goals.  

Before joining DCHA, Ms. Kinlow was government relations manager for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. (Kaiser Permanente).  Her extensive experience in government relations also includes work as the public policy advocate for two professional trade associations, the National Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.  Tonya began her professional career on Capitol Hill, where she served on the legislative staffs of Congressman Charles Rangel and Congressman Richard Durbin.

Tonya is an active and dedicated District of Columbia resident.  She is a former elected At-Large representative on the District of Columbia Board of Education. As an elected board member, Ms. Kinlow chaired several policymaking committees, including the public charter school committee.  Tonya directed the development and adoption of the rules that govern the public charter schools approved by the board.  She was also the primary sponsor of the board policy establishing new system accountability standards.  The standards included citywide reading and math achievement goals for all public school children, and smaller class size in all DC Public Schools.  

Tonya is married to Eugene Dewitt Kinlow.  They have two children, Tiye and Eugene, and live in the Ward 8 community of Bellvue.  She has a B.A. in political science from Loyola University in New Orleans and a Masters in Public Administration from American University. Tonya is a member of the Covenant Baptist Church where she is a facilitator of adult spiritual education classes.