PROFILE: Tracy Poduska

// By Emily Cohen

Jackson Elementary School principal Tracy Poduska is on the go most days. It’s how she’s wired—constantly moving, thinking, leading. Originally from Ohio, Poduska knew she wanted to be a teacher from the time she was a little girl. A driven student, she graduated from the University of Ohio in just three years. Teaching came naturally. But Jackson Hole? That was a surprise.

“I’d never been west of the Mississippi,” she says, remembering a fateful summer road trip with her best friend from high school after her first year of teaching in Georgia. “We just went everywhere—El Paso to Banff.” Jackson Hole’s mountains, wildness, and sense of possibility drew her in. After a few return visits, she made the leap in 2000, moving from Ohio to Jackson and landing a job with the Teton County School District within six days of arrival. “I knew [Jackson Hole] was home,” Poduska says. “I promised myself that the day I take this environment for granted is the day I should probably live somewhere else.” Twenty-five years later, she is still here. 

Poduska started as a fourth-grade teacher but was quickly tapped to lead the district’s gifted education program. From there, she became curriculum director, then principal of Wilson Elementary—also overseeing the elementary schools in Kelly, Moran, and Alta—before arriving at Jackson Elementary in 2017. “I never set out to be a principal,” she says. “But I fell in love with it. Every day you’re with teachers. Every day you’re with students.”

Her passion is teacher development—empowering educators to grow and thrive. “The better job I do supporting teachers, the better they can do for our students,” she says. “I work with and through people. If you want to make real change and keep people engaged, you have to do it together.”

I want students to know their principal is someone who cares deeply about them. We take academics seriously, but we also believe in developing the whole child.”

—Principal Tracy Poduska

Still, leading a school in Jackson has its challenges. Chief among them: housing. “I’ve lost a lot of good people,” Poduska says. Teacher turnover, driven by the region’s high cost of living, presents real obstacles. “You wonder if this is a harbinger of things to come,” she says. 

Poduska is known across the valley for finding silly gimmicks to motivate and reward students. She’s been taped to a wall, turned into an ice cream sundae, and has even “flown” through the gymnasium dressed as a falcon. “I want students to know their principal is someone who cares deeply about them,” she says. “We take academics seriously, but we also believe in developing the whole child.”

Poduska helped create the Falcon Funds system, where students earn rewards for positive behavior, effort, and achievement. While some spend their “money” on toys and trinkets, others opt to have lunch with the principal or help her with morning announcements. “I feel honored when they pick me over a squishy,” she says.

She’s equally intentional about recognizing teachers and the many hats they wear. “They teach kids reading, writing, arithmetic. They are counselors. They are parent therapists. They are attendance officers.” Her mantra? “Work with and through people.”

One of her proudest recent initiatives is a monthly school-wide assembly focused on student recognition. Rather than honoring only traditional high achievers, each grade selects a student who exemplifies a rotating theme—from perseverance to kindness to personal growth. Teachers share heartfelt stories in front of the entire school.

“Everyone cried,” Poduska says. “To hear about a student who’s learning English or who’s made huge strides in writing.” Those stories matter, and for Poduska, it’s important that everyone hears them. “Everyone cheers,” she says.

Outside of school, Poduska stays just as active. She loves cross-country skiing and recently took up accounting classes just for fun. “I’ve always loved numbers,” she says. “It’s a way to keep my mind sharp.”

Her husband, Greg, is also an educator—a history teacher at the middle school. They met at a welcome event for new teachers when she first started with Teton County Schools. “He came up and said, ‘You’re new here,’ and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, he’s cute.’” They’ve now been married for 23 years and raised two children in Teton County schools—one graduated in 2023, the other in 2025. Poduska earned her doctorate while her kids were little, juggling work, study, and parenting. “I’m disciplined about compartmentalizing,” she says. When she defended her dissertation at the University of Wyoming, she brought her daughter along. “I wanted her to see it. I wanted to show my kids they can do anything they set their minds to.”

Poduska says she learns from her students every day, especially from their resilience. “Some of them are dealing with really heavy stuff outside school. But they still show up and try. They remind me what perseverance looks like.”

Her favorite days of the year? The first day of school, when everyone is filled with anticipation and excitement about a fresh start and all the possibilities to come, and the annual talent show at the end of the school year. “Seeing students who have some crazy stuff going on commit to something, [especially something] as scary or challenging as putting yourself out there on stage.” 

In a place as transient and fast-changing as Jackson, Poduska is a constant—steadfast, joyful, and deeply committed to the community she calls home.

Tracy’s favorite wintertime activities 

Skiing at Trail Creek

Trail Creek is home to the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club’s Nordic program, where Tracy’s daughter got her start before becoming a collegiate skier. A 10-mile track groomed for skate and classic skiing winds through Trail Creek Ranch and extends in loops into the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Skiers will find a mix of open meadows, forested sections, and challenging uphills and descents. Day passes $26; trailcreekranch.com

Watching Ski-Joring

Skijoring, Poduska says, is “oh so Wyoming:” A galloping horse and rider pull skiers through a course
of gates, jumps, and other obstacles. Catch this at Teton Valley Skijoring (February 21–22). Free, Tetonskijor.org

Visiting the National Elk Refuge

“Jackson Elementary borders the Elk Refuge, and the amount and variety of wildlife is incredible,” Poduska says. “Of course, there are elk, but also foxes and coyotes.” Take a scenic drive or a walk along the Elk Refuge Road, or bundle up for a sleigh ride with Double H Bar, the refuge’s long-time concessionaire, to get up close to the wintering elk. Passes, $27 (kids) and $42 (adults); nersleighrides.com JH