Dale Winkler is senior vice president for school improvement at the Southern Regional Education Board.

He joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2015 as special assistant to the senior vice president of the school improvement office. He was named vice president of school improvement in 2018 and senior vice president in 2023. He served as SREB’s interim president during late 2025 and early 2026.

Winkler has decades of experience in leadership and policy in the areas of college and career readiness and career pathways, including leading two commissions on pathways at SREB.

Video: Dr. Winkler describes SREB’s improvement process. Watch >

Prior to SREB, he was a high school teacher, principal and associate commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education. Dale holds a bachelor’s in accounting and master’s in secondary education from Cumberland College. He also holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Kentucky.