Virgel Hammonds
Chief Learning Officer
KnowledgeWorks
Board Chair
As the Chief Learning Officer at KnowledgeWorks, Virgel Hammonds partners with national policymakers, learning and equity focused organizations, and innovative learning communities throughout the country to redesign learning structures to become more learner-centered and based on competency, rather than seat time. He also works with the KnowledgeWorks team to build tools, processes, and services that help districts design and implement a highly personalized learning infrastructure.
Hammonds previously served as the superintendent of RSU 2, a regional school district in Maine. There, he collaborated with five communities to develop and implement a curriculum designed to ensure mastery of standards by all students. Before serving as superintendent, Virgel was a high school principal at Lindsay Unified School District in California. There, Hammonds helped implement a personalized learning model where “learners” don’t earn letter grades, but rather are awarded mastery, in ways that are empowering and motivating to each, for subjects in which they’ve proven to be proficient.
Currently, Hammonds also serves on multiple boards and leadership councils: iNACOL board; Mastery Transcript Advisory Council; Jobs for Maine Graduates Executive Board; PBLWorks Board; CompetencyWorks Advisory Board.
Virgel earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his Master of Education from Fresno Pacific University.