Sherry Birchem serves as the Director for the Office of Learning and Instructional Strategies at the Ohio Department of Education.  In this role, Sherry leads the development, revision, and implementation of the K-12 Ohio Learning Standards and Model Curriculum.  In addition, her office leads professional learning on high-quality instructional materials to support equitable instruction for all learners. Before coming to the Department of Education, Sherry served as a middle school English language arts and Science teacher, 6-12 Curriculum Specialist, and an elementary and middle school principal.  The time spent in these positions reinforced her passion for leadership and supporting educators in providing high-quality instruction to support student learning.  Sherry is a graduate of The Ohio State University (B.A., Communications) and Otterbein University (M.A.T, Middle Childhood English language arts and Science). Sherry is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership through Franklin University.