Heidi Davis Perez has been appointed to serve as Director of Instructional Systems, effective July 1, 2026.

Perez has served 30 years in K-12 public schools in New York, Texas, and North Carolina. She has served as the district’s Secondary Literacy Integration Specialist for 15 years. During that time, she's led districtwide secondary instructional support work and facilitated equity-centered resource and service analysis across K-12 schools, translating findings into system-level recommendations for access, instructional impact, and resource alignment.

Perez has taught English in North Carolina, New York, and Texas, serving also as a Department Chair, PLC leader, interdisciplinary team lead, student publications adviser, and community partnership liaison across middle and high school settings.

She currently serves as the President of the North Carolina Reading Association and has served on the boards of the North Carolina Reading Association and the Texas Council of Teachers of English. She also co-founded literacy-focused professional networks and has built cross-sector partnerships with higher education, mission-aligned industry sponsors, and community organizations to expand professionals learning access and leadership development.

“I am deeply honored and excited to continue serving Durham Public Schools as Director of Instructional Systems. I look forward to working collaboratively with school and district leaders to build coherent systems that help leaders and teachers turn resources, data, and instructional priorities into meaningful action for students. Together, we can close access gaps, strengthen instructional excellence across every school, and continue moving DPS toward becoming the premier school district in the nation,” said Perez. 

Perez is a PhD candidate in Leadership Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Secondary Education from the State University of New York at Potsdam and her Master's of Education in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University.  She is proud to be a DPS mom and Durham resident.