Carmen Gelman

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About Carmen

Carmen Gelman is a deeply respected educational leader whose 25+ year career has been dedicated to transforming schools into spaces where every student feels a profound sense of belonging, voice, and opportunity. Most recently, Carmen served as Senior Director of Professional Learning for the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), where she led statewide leadership development initiatives rooted in equity, cultural responsiveness, and systemic change. In this role, she mentored educational leaders, built strategic partnerships with state and community organizations, and curated dynamic professional learning experiences that reflected the diverse needs of Oregon’s school communities. Carmen also continues to supervise future administrators through the University of Oregon, helping shape the next generation of equity-driven school leaders.

Throughout her career, Carmen has held leadership roles across Oregon and California, including serving as Principal at Milwaukie High School, Springfield High School, and Deer Park Academy, and as Regional Director at the Education Policy Improvement Center. Across these varied settings—urban, suburban, and alternative—Carmen has led school transformations that uplift historically marginalized students and communities. Her leadership has resulted in significant outcomes: hiring 27 BIPOC staff in two years, increasing graduation rates for BIPOC students by 25%, dramatically reducing suspension and expulsion rates, and creating programs like Student Voice, which are now used nationally. Whether rebranding schools, redesigning discipline systems, or implementing restorative practices, her vision has always centered students, families, and community partnerships.

What distinguishes Carmen’s leadership is the unwavering consistency in her values and approach, no matter the role, district, or state. Her work is anchored in the belief that every child deserves to be seen, heard, and valued, and that schools must be places where students feel emotionally safe, culturally affirmed, and supported to lead. She has brought this vision to life by fostering equity task forces, expanding AP and arts access, redesigning hiring systems to diversify staff, and facilitating healing-centered engagement with students and families. Her model is holistic and human-centered—acknowledging that true school transformation begins with relationships, trust, and shared responsibility.

Carmen believes that professional learning must be liberatory—not just about compliance or performance, but about creating the conditions for liberation, joy, and purpose-driven leadership. This belief drives her consulting, speaking, and mentorship work today, where she supports districts and leaders in designing systems that reflect the strengths of their communities. She sees equity not as a checkbox but as the core purpose of education—to honor students’ full identities and prepare them not just for success, but for self-determination. Her legacy continues through the people she mentors, the systems she’s helped shift, and the enduring impact of her deeply principled, heart-forward leadership.