District 5 includes parts of East Oak Cliff, Oak Lawn, West Dallas, and Wilmer-Hutchins

Lew Blackburn, Ph.D. was elected to the Board of Trustees in June 2001. He currently serves as second vice president, having served previously as secretary, and chair of the Education Briefing Committee.

Dr. Blackburn has more than 20 years of experience in education. He began his career as an instrumental music teacher with the Dallas ISD before serving as an assistant principal. Dr. Blackburn has worked for the Texas Education Agency in the Division of School Accountability and has served as a principal in Goodrich, Texas, and Duncanville, Texas.

Dr. Blackburn also has experience as an instructor at various colleges and universities, teaching graduate level courses. He has presented workshops and written papers on parent involvement, student support, collaborative decision-making, and communication for educators.

Dr. Blackburn was born in Fort Worth, where he attended elementary school. After moving to Dallas, he attended Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School and graduated from Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. Dr. Blackburn earned a bachelor‘s degree in music education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce.  He earned a Doctorate of Philosophy degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Blackburn has three children, all of whom are Dallas ISD graduates. Enjoying his two grandchildren, he lives in the Cedar Crest neighborhood of Oak Cliff.