"I learn something new every day."
Secondary Education
UCI/UCLA Alumnus
Dr. Keith Tuominen considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of the UCI learning community. Starting in the Administrative Credential Tier II program, he joined the UCI/UCLA Ed.D. program officially in 2003. He defended his dissertation entitled Formative Assessment and Collaborative Teaming With Support Involving Middle School Mathematics Teachers in the spring of 2008. "Dr. Hank Becker and Dr. Jimmy Kim were instrumental in their guidance throughout the research and writing process, and Leora Fellus kept things moving behind the scenes."
Dr. Tuominen recognizes that he has learning and education in his genes. His mother and grandmother were teachers and his father was a principal, all in northern Minnesota. Following the family tradition, Dr. Tuominen was a math teacher and high school coach for over 13 years at both public and private schools in Minnesota, Chicago, and Orange County, California. Upon completion of a Masters in Educational Leadership at Cal State, Long Beach, he took on the role of assistant principal at both the middle school and high school levels in the Anaheim Union High School District and then in the Irvine Unified School District.
The move to Irvine Unified has been full of opportunities for continuous growth. After working as an assistant principal at Irvine High School, I had the opportunity to join the Venado Middle School community as their principal. In that capacity, I was able to continue work in formative assessment and collaboration as the school took additional steps to refine their PLC (Professional Learning Community) program. I also worked with the school on PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) initiatives, helping students and adults to create a positive culture for learning and growing.
On July 1st, 2010, Dr. Tuominen took on another challenge in the role of Director of Secondary Education within Irvine Unified. In this role, he has the opportunity to work with all of the middle and high schools in the district.
The Irvine district’s strong belief in professional collaboration and continuous improvement for students mirrors the attributes I found in the UCI programs. It is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in important work with great people! I learn something new every day.
Dr. Tuominen’s life is enriched by his supportive family. He is married to Kathy and together they have two children, Emma and Ryan. Many activities keep the family learning and growing, including Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, musicals, and sports league. In addition to running after his kids, Keith keeps himself running with sprint triathlons and is also involved in the Unitarian Universalist church community.
