Denise M. Walston is the chief of curriculum for the Council of the Great City Schools. Her work focuses on supporting member districts in their implementation of college- and career-readiness standards in the four core content areas, developing tools to support implementation, and improving student achievement.

She retired from Norfolk Public Schools in 2011 as the senior coordinator of K–12 mathematics. Her responsibilities included developing the district’s mathematics curriculum and providing quality professional development. During her tenure, Norfolk Public Schools embarked on the Algebra for ALL initiative, which resulted in more than 50 percent of students completing algebra by the end of eighth grade.

Walston is on the boards of directors for Illustrative Mathematics and Student Achievement Partners, and is a past board member for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She has held leadership positions for the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, the Virginia Council for Mathematics Supervision, and the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition. Walston received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and history from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Master of Science in Education in mathematics education from Old Dominion University.