Ms. Carmyn Neely has 40-plus years of experience in the education field. She has served as a classroom teacher, an adjunct professor, and an administrator at the school campus, district and state levels. Carmyn received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of North Texas in Denton. She has done post-master’s coursework at Texas A&M University at Commerce, the University of North Texas and Texas Tech University.
Throughout her career, Carmyn has focused on curriculum and instruction at the school and administration levels in districts throughout the state of Texas. She was Deputy Director of Statewide Initiatives, working with Regional Education Service Centers and the Texas Education Agency. In this role, she identified exemplary programs and best practices. Carmyn has served as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the Lubbock Independent School District and as Associate Superintendent of Schools for the Dallas Independent School District. She served on the State Board of Directors and was a member of the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She has held membership in the state and national Associations for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Phi Delta Kappa. In 2003 Carmyn was the recipient of the Bayard H. Friedman Hero Award given at Southern Methodist University in recognition of her contributions to the improvement of public education.
Carmyn’s dedication to improving public education within the state of Texas led her to the Foundation for the Education of Young Women (FEYW). In October of 2006, Carmyn assumed the position of Executive Director of the Foundation. Under Carmyn’s leadership and direction, the Foundation has formed partnerships with urban school districts throughout the state to open all-girl public schools in Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Houston. The goal of Carmyn and FEYW is to have one hundred percent of the students in the sponsored schools not only graduate from high school, but attend and graduate from college.