Our Leadership
The School District of Philadelphia is comprised of a staff of highly qualified and dedicated individuals. Every one of our staff members plays an important role in the success of our schools. To highlight some of our exemplary staff, we have included brief bios of our leadership team members on this page.
Officers
Tom Knudsen Acting Superintendent and Chief Recovery Officer
Tom Knudsen is known to the Philadelphia government and business communities as the recently retired CEO of the Philadelphia Gas Works. Mr. Knudsen served in that capacity for 10 years and as Chief Financial Officer of PGW for a year. During his tenure, PGW underwent recovery and transformation from a utility with an annual cash deficit of $60 to $100 million from uncollected revenues, a failed computer system not billing 50,000 customers, an infrastructure in need of fundamental repair, a call center unable to provide basic customer service and a demoralized executive staff to the PGW today that is financially sound and recognized by regulators and Wall Street as expertly managed and fully functioning. Prior to joining PGW, Mr. Knudsen headed a consulting firm which represented utility customers in regulatory proceedings. Mr. Knudsen also worked in the management services division of Deloitte and Touche, the international accounting and consulting firm, and began his career in the Finance Department of the City of New York. He holds an MBA degree in Finance from Columbia University and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University. Mr. Knudsen is also a former naval officer.
Penny Nixon, Chief Academic Officer
Penny Nixon, Chief Academic Officer of The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), prides herself in promoting an environment of academic excellence and positive school culture. She supports the design, implementation, and coordination of instructional leadership and curriculum-related initiatives. Mrs. Nixon is responsible for ensuring instructional leadership is being implemented in all Philadelphia public schools, as well as reporting matters related to operations and budget to the Chief Recover Officer and Acting Superintendent.
To learn more about our Associate Superintendent of Schools, read Ms. Penny Nixon's complete biography
Michael A. Davis, General Counsel
Mr. Davis has served as the General Counsel of the School District of Philadelphia since July 6, 2010. He heads an office that is responsible for providing legal advice and representation for the School Reform Commission (SRC), School District officers and other employees. The General Counsel also is responsible for engaging, and managing the services of outside counsel retained on an as-needed basis, and serves as the Assistant Secretary of the SRC.
To learn more about our General Counsel, read Mr. Michael Davis' complete biography
Myron J. Patterson, Chief Inspector
Myron J. Patterson holds the Civil Service rank of Chief Inspector with the Philadelphia Police Department. Chief Patterson accepted the temporary assignment as Chief Safety Executive, Office of School Safety for the School District of Philadelphia on Monday, August 16, 2010.
To learn more about our Chief Inspector, read Mr. Myron J. Patterson's complete biography