Susan C. Spinnato2019 State Supervisor of the Year
At its 60th annual meeting in Washington, DC. in November 2019, the National Council of State Supervisor for Languages (NCSSFL) named Susan Spinnato the 2019 State Supervisor of the Year. Mrs. Spinnato is the Director of Instructional Programs at the Maryland State Department of Education, supervising World Languages, English Learner programs, Educational Equity, Fine Arts, Gifted and Talented programs, Health Education, and Physical Education.
Susan has served as a board member and officer of Maryland TESOL, receiving its Lifetime Achievement Award, and a board member of the Maryland Foreign Language Association (MFLA). An MFLA colleague stated that her “presence and unpretentious charisma allow her to communicate to Maryland’s educators how shared values such as collaboration, support for one another, continuous growth in the profession, mobilization of community resources and educational partnerships are vital to the success” in world language learning.
Mrs. Spinnato has presented numerous times locally, regionally, and nationally, and takes pride in sharing and celebrating Maryland’s outstanding language programs, including the state’s $1.7 million Race-to-the Top World Language Pipeline project to plan and implement elementary STEM-infused world language programs.
Susan’s career in language education spans over 45 years. She previously served as the World Language Specialist at the Maryland State Department of Education. Prior to her state service, she was the Coordinator of World Languages and ESOL in Baltimore County (MD) Public Schools, as well as an instructional specialist, department chair, and teacher of Spanish.
