Victor Wakefield

Victor Wakefield was appointed Nevada’s Superintendent of Public Instruction by Governor Joe Lombardo on September 29, 2025, assuming the role on October 27. He oversees the Nevada Department of Education, its nearly 500,000 students, 30,000 educators, and a $6.6 billion budget.

Wakefield spent his entire pre-appointment career within or adjacent to Teach for America.

He joined as a corps member in 2007, teaching middle school in Gary, Indiana, after graduating from Princeton with a degree in history and American studies.

He rose through TFA’s ranks as director of recruitment at Duke and Princeton (2009–2011), then executive director of TFA-Las Vegas (2011–2016), where he grew the corps from 90 to 250 teachers and revenue from $2 million to $5 million annually.

He later served as national vice president for Regions, overseeing 16 TFA regions, and as vice president for special projects, directing national strategy for the $250 million organization through 2025. He also chaired the board of TFA DC/Virginia.

Governor Brian Sandoval appointed Wakefield to the Nevada State Board of Education in 2015, where he served through 2017

Multiple sources confirm his TFA-Las Vegas executive director tenure overlapped with his board service, creating a direct conflict of interest under NRS 281A.420. No public record of a recusal or ethics review exists. His superintendent application packet does not address the conflict.

Between TFA roles, Wakefield served as a senior fellow at the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities (2017–2020), advocating for SB 178, which allocated $72 million for weighted student funding. He holds a master’s in elementary education from Dominican University (2010) and a doctorate in entrepreneurial leadership in education from Johns Hopkins (2020).

Wakefield was previously married to Alexis Gonzales-Black