MMSD Principal Named Among State’s Most Influential Asian Americans

Gompers Elementary School Principal Maixia Thao has gotten used to quietly working behind the scenes for years, so when the “congratulations” messages started pouring in, they came as a surprise.

In late June, Thao was named one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Asian American Leaders by Madison365, joining 22 others on this year's list.

“I’m just so humbled. I don’t know who would honor and recognize me,” she said with a laugh. “It really is just a testament to all the people and all the colleagues that I have whose shoulders I stand on.”

Thao was recognized for her community leadership through the Madison Metropolitan School District, the development of an arts-integration residency program, and the district's Hmong Bilingual Program.

While Thao has been quick to share the recognition with others, the spotlight was long overdue for her colleagues, like Bilingual Resource Specialist Sheng Lee.

“I was like ‘wow, it’s about time that Maixia gets recognized,’” Lee said. “She’s really an exceptional leader who consistently identifies needs and fills gaps.”

Thao spent much of her life with MMSD, from student to teacher to administrator and now principal at Samuel Gompers Elementary School.

It wasn’t always her plan to run a school but Thao said she recognized the power and purpose of education early on. Motivated by her own experience as a Hmong American navigating public school, she also understood the importance of creating spaces of belonging.

“There’s power in giving back to your own community,” Thao said. “It’s not always greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.”

Thao was instrumental in developing MMSD’s Hmong Bilingual Program and helping community members see what it means to reclaim their history, culture and language.

The Hmong Bilingual Program was launched in 2017 at Lakeview Elementary. It has since expanded to Black Hawk Middle School and will be offered at East High School for the first time in the 2026-27 school year.

It’s an example of success that her colleague of nearly 15 years, Instructional Coach Bobbi Simpson, said motivates everyone around Thao to lead with innovation and a commitment to excellence.

“I’ve always seen her as a warm demander. I see that in her leadership style. I saw that in her teaching style,” Simpson said. “The way she operates, she loves to lift people up to a higher standard.”

While Thao still shies away from such praise for herself, she does recognize the impact her success, highlighted on a larger scale, can have on the people she wants to reach.

“When people know and see and hear someone that they’re familiar with, someone that they have had experiences with, I just hope that it serves as hope and inspiration,” she said. “Like okay, things are happening, and I too can make a difference in my community.”