When Dilhani Uswatte won the Milken Award as an 8th-grade math teacher and chair of the math department at Berry Middle School in Birmingham, she was known for her compassion and dedication. After a tsunami struck her native Sri Lanka, she engaged the entire school in a fundraising effort to rebuild a Sri Lankan school that had been destroyed. She started Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) and created a free tutoring service and helpline for current and former students who needed help with math.
Uswatte always believed teaching was her calling. After her Milken Award, Uswatte realized she was also destined to be a leader in education. Previous recipients told her it would open doors — and it did.
The summer after her Award, Uswatte became the assistant principal at Rocky Ridge Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, challenged by the administration to get students excited about math and improve performance. By the end of her first year, Uswatte and her team had increased math performance by an average of 15% in each grade, and all grades were at 90% proficiency or higher. Uswatte’s Milken Award earned her the credibility she needed with her teachers to engage them in the year-long effort to make those improvements. Four years later, Uswatte was selected to lead the school as principal. She served as principal from 2014-24, leading her school to increase their state report grade from 85% to 95%. During this time, she earned the title of National Distinguished Principal.
Since receiving the Milken Award, Uswatte has taken on leadership opportunities at both the district and state level. She has served as a judge for Jacksonville’s and the state of Alabama’s Teacher of the Year awards. A frequent presenter on math education and teacher leadership, she has spoken at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University, the Teacher Hall of Fame Award Banquet, and Hoover New Teacher Institute. In 2016, she was chosen to be a TedX educator fellow, bringing her together with educators across the Birmingham area. She has also been a frequent presenter at the Milken Forums and Milken Educator online events.
Uswatte served as a council member of ACLD, the state committee that approves professional learning courses across Alabama. She was also an advising member of the state committee tasked with reworking the teacher formative assessment program called Educate Alabama. Uswatte was the vice president and president elect for the District IV Alabama Elementary Principals Association (AAESA). From 2019-24, she served as a board director on the Council for Leader of Alabama Schools (CLAS). In 2019, she was named Alabama Education Leader of the Year by CLAS.
Uswatte spearheaded the original Alabama Milken Mentors program, which brought Milken Educators from around the state together for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. In 2021, she co-initiated a new mentoring program called the Alabama MVP program that aims to support other highly effective educators in the state.
In 2022, Dilhani was selected by US Secretary of Education, Dr. Cardona, to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board.
Beginning in 2024, Dr. Uswatte will start a new journey as the Chief Academic Officer for a relatively new public charter network called i3 Academy in Birmingham, Alabama.
“I have officially earned the title of ‘Dr. Dil’ and..." (read more)
1996 Queens University, B.S.
