Dr. Tora Townsend is a nationally respected K–12 education leader, turnaround specialist, and innovator in virtual and blended learning with more than two decades of experience transforming underperforming schools into high-performing, student-centered learning communities. She is the Founder and Chief Academic Strategist of Dr. Tora H.O.P.E. Consulting, LLC, where she helps scholars achieve optimal academic growth and achievement through personalized tutoring, structured accountability systems, and data-driven instructional strategies aligned to each learner’s academic needs.

Dr. Townsend currently serves as the Founding Principal of Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy in Indiana, the state’s first tuition-free virtual K–12 school. Under her leadership, the school achieved 96% teacher retention, 93% staff retention, a 97% high school graduation rate, and an 82% 3rd-grade IREAD pass rate, while sustaining 4.7/5 parent satisfaction and 96.5% scholar attendance. Her work earned her Principal of the Year honors for both the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 academic years and supported a successful 15-year charter renewal during the school’s first renewal cycle.

Dr. Townsend holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and an Ed.S. in K–12 Superintendency from Indiana State University, a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Indianapolis, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Oakland City University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from St. Cloud State University.

Through Dr. Tora H.O.P.E. Consulting, she now brings her proven leadership framework directly to scholars and families—bridging the gap between institutional success and individual academic growth—so every learner is equipped not only to achieve, but to thrive.