Douglas Otto

Dr. Douglas Otto was the Superintendent of Schools for the Plano Independent School District.

Otto completed his Bachelor's degree in business education from Illinois State University. He also received a Master's degree and Doctorate degree in educational administration from the same university.

Otto began his career as a business education teacher in Dundee, Illinois. He then became a high school principal in Taylor Ridge, Illinois. He served in this position for three years. Otto then was the superintendent of schools for the North Scott School Community District in Eldridge, Iowa and the Rockridge Community Unit School District in Taylor Ridge, Illinois. From 1987 to 1990, he served in the same position at the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. For the next five years, Otto was the superintendent of schools for the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota.

In 1995, Otto joined PISD as the superintendent of schools. He was responsible for overseeing the 53,000-student school district that has a budget of approximately $497 million.

Otto currently serves as the president of the Texas Schools Finance Coalition. Also he is on the national advisory board for Practical Parent Education and the Horace Mann League. Otto speaks at many state and national conferences and is an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas and the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

Otto has been awarded numerous awards for his leadership including: The Leadership for Learning Award in 2000 by the American Association for School Administrators for the total integration of technology into the elementary curriculum, one of 12 Tech-Savvy Superintendents from across the nation by eSchool News, and the Region 10 Service Center's nominee for Texas Superintendent of the Year in 2001. Otto was inducted into the Illinois State University College of Education Hall of Fame in 2002.

Douglas W. Otto Middle School in Plano, set to open in 2010, is named for Dr. Otto.