Carolyn Stanford Taylor is an American educator who served as the 27th Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2019 to 2021.

[1][2] Stanford Taylor was the first African American to serve as Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction.

[2][3] Her appointment was announced by Wisconsin Governor-elect Tony Evers in December 2018, who served as Superintendent of Public Instruction prior to his election as Governor.

[4][5] Born and raised in Marks, Mississippi, Stanford Taylor and her siblings were one of the first African American families to integrate the schools.

[9] Stanford Taylor is the 2018 recipient Virginia Hart Special Recognition, an award bestowed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management, to female state employees "who are making a difference through their service to Wisconsin.