- Dr. Meria Joel Carstarphen was born and raised in Selma, Ala.,
- Carstarphen earned a doctorate in administration, planning, and social policy with a concentration in urban superintendency from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and Spanish from Tulane University, and Master of education degrees from Auburn University and Harvard University. She has also studied at the University of Seville, Spain and University of Innsbruck, Austria. She started her career as a teacher in the Selma middle school she attended.
- Carstarphen’s professional experience includes teaching at the middle school level, as well as elementary education in Seville, Spain, and Caracas, Venezuela.
- Carstarphen previously served as the superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota.
- Carstarphen has been the superintendent of Austin School District in Austin, Texas since 2009.
