José is a senior education advisor for Lexia Learning. Viana was most recently the Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director of the Office of English Language Acquisition at the United States Department of Education.
Prior to joining the Department, Viana served for eight years as an administrator of the Migrant Education Program for North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction. Viana began his career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools as an elementary school teacher for English language learners and later was a humanities and technology instructor at an International Baccalaureate World School. In 2006, Viana became an elementary school administrator for Durham Public Schools, where he established the districtwide Title I Parent Advisement Committee for Hispanics.
Viana is a first-generation Cuban immigrant who started his primary years as an English language learner. The magnificent teachers he encountered in his early learning inspired him to become an educator. Viana has devoted his life to improving educational opportunities for minority populations and is honored to serve our nation's emergent bilinguals and their families.