New Assistant Head of School Tresa Wilson has always been inspired by the strong women in her life. Whether it was her mother encouraging her to pursue her passion in teaching or the women leaders in her previous job at an all-girls school in Dallas, she always was surrounded by powerful role models. With her new position at Trinity, Wilson hopes to continue this legacy and inspire even more young leaders by being a role model herself. 

   Wilson grew up in the west Texas town of St. Angelo and was raised in Tyler, located  two hours outside of Dallas. With a major in communications and minor in Spanish from The University of Texas at Tyler and Southern Methodist University, Wilson started her professional career at a local TV station. However, Wilson decided to change careers after a short time in this job. 

   “[I] was really not progressing as I thought I would in the communication field…[so] I decided that I wanted to branch out with the advice of my mother,” Wilson said. 

   This transition marked the beginning of Wilson’s 22-year career in education, starting at the Dallas Independent School District teaching Spanish first and then sixth grade. Continuing in education, Wilson transitioned into private schools where she discovered The Hockaday School in Dallas.

   “I was at the school for 16 years, and I think what the great thing about education is that [it] gives you a chance to grow,” Wilson said. 

   Wilson said that she got to experience a variety of perspectives in her different roles. She was a fourth grade teacher for eight years and the Director of Inclusion and Community for another eight, her most recent role before coming to Trinity.

   In this role, Wilson was in charge of a number of initiatives to promote diversity and community at Hockaday, including professional development to staff on student development, parent education, and how to counteract biases. Wilson’s favorite program that she developed during this time was the yearly Hockaday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.

   “That entailed really thinking about, ‘How do we come together as a community?’ ‘How do we celebrate his message?’” Wilson said. 

   During this celebration, Wilson emphasized this message with lessons and dialogue about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in advisory and classes. There were also a variety of performances led by students and faculty working together in activities such as the all-school choir or individual dance performances.

    “One thing I’d love to do was really highlight people that you never saw before,” Wilson said. “All of us [came] together to create one community.” 

   Wilson’s experience in her previous job led to her current Assistant Head of School position here at Trinity Prep where she is currently working on learning the school community.  

   “I’ve got to learn, ‘Who is Trinity Prep, What does it mean to be a saint?’ and then incorporate those things, your mission, your strategic imperatives…and then think about how does that trickle into my day to day,” Wilson said. 

   In this role, Wilson’s main responsibilities are currently recruitment, retention and the school Fellows program for mentoring new teachers. She hopes to incorporate her past experience as a diversity director into her current role once she better learns the school’s culture. 

   “Whenever you go to a new institution, you should learn that institution,” Wilson said. “My hope is to bring insight and also think about programming as we move further down the path.” 

   Aside from her current job, Wilson has a variety of hobbies that she hopes to continue since moving to Florida. She is interested in joining sports such as soccer, tennis and golf. Wilson is also an avid Netflix watcher and enjoys a variety of action, romance, and foreign language films.

   “I’m the one if there’s a new superhero movie coming out, I’ve got to go to the movies,” Wilson said.

   She also enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her mother who works at a neurosurgical clinic, her father who is a retired school crossing guard and her sister who is 11 years younger than her. 

   Wilson said that she is excited to meet the new students and faculty here on campus as a people person herself, so she hopes that students stop into her office behind the help desk or interact with her out on campus whenever they see her. 

   “I hope it becomes a culture where if you have a question, ask it,” Wilson said. “I love providing [students] with opportunities or tapping into how I can support them.”