Melody Parrish

Melody Parrish is the Chief Information Officer at the Texas Education Agency. In her role, Parrish is responsible for overseeing the agency’s Information Technology Services/Statewide Education Data Systems (ITS/SEDS).

She oversees the large-scale information technology and project management office projects at the agency, including the current Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) legacy system as well as implementation of the Texas Student Data System (TSDS). TSDS streamlines student data, driving classroom and student success while ensuring the security and privacy of more than five million Texas students.

Parrish has been actively involved in education throughout her career. During her years as a classroom teacher, she taught Mathematics, Algebra, Computer Literacy, Business and Computer Science, and all subjects in sixth grade. She also served on several curriculum-writing committees and as the campus liaison on a district-wide technology committee.

As a director of technology services for the Lockhart Independent School District, Parrish was responsible for all aspects of technology, including developing and implementing a multi-year technology plan. She managed all aspects of the district’s PEIMS and business systems, while providing oversight and compliance of E-Rate and federal funding.

Parrish also worked as the Director of Management Information Systems for the Austin Independent School District, where she successfully managed the implementation of new information systems. Her work focused on two student information systems, a teacher gradebook for 6,600 educators, a parent portal for viewing key student information for 82,000 families, and a data warehouse. She also served on the district’s strategic plan committee, as well as on the technology plan committee.

Her private sector experience includes a role as manager for an industry-renowned education firm seeking to increase classroom efficiency and student success through the implementation of digital learning products. In this role, she worked closely with school district administrators to successfully implement new student information systems.

Parrish earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Tarleton State University. She also serves on the Statewide Business Executive Leadership Committee, on the National Council for Personalized Education, and on the National Ed-fi Alliance Board, which voluntarily shares technology as a solution for education with other state education agencies. She is a past member of the state’s Department of Information Resources Board of Directors.