Dale Winkler was named vice president of school improvement in April 2018 and senior vice president July 2023.

He serves as SREB interim president beginning June 22, 2025

He joined the Southern Regional Education Board in 2015 as special assistant to the senior vice president of the organization’s school improvement team.

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.