Tammy Lacey is the Superintendent for Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS). GFPS is the second largest district in Montana and third largest employer in Great Falls. She is a C.M. Russell High School graduate and the first in her family to attend college, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a Superintendent’s Endorsement from the University of Montana. Over her 34 year career in education she has served as a classroom teacher, teacher on special assignment, elementary principal, human resources director, and now superintendent.
Tammy works for all Montanans as a member of the Montana Board of Public Education and the Montana Council on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. She believes strongly in community involvement and therefore is president of the Great Falls Lions Club and, in addition to the UP Board, she serves on the Cascade City-County Board of Health, the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Board, the Great Falls Development Authority Board and the Benefis Hospital Board of Directors.
She has been recognized for her work with student wellness, educational leadership, community engagement, and her commitment to fellow citizens. She is the current Montana Superintendent of the Year and was previously selected as Montana’s National Distinguished Elementary Principal. She was recently awarded the G.V. Erickson Award, the highest award given to a Montana administrator.
While not being an alumni of UP, she believes that having a vibrant university in her hometown is key to its long-term outlook. She also sees UP’s School of Education as being a potential solution to the teacher shortage in Great Falls. She is honored to have the opportunity to serve as a UP Trustee. She finds it exciting to watch the community and the university work together in supporting UP students as they seek “character, competence and commitment.”
