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José Viana joined Lexia Learning in December 2019 as a senior advisor, bringing 28 years of experience in education. Viana was most recently the Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director of the Office of English Language Acquisition at the United States Department of Education. In this role, he was responsible for the overall leadership, management, and direction of education for English language learners nationwide. He also oversaw the development and dissemination of discretionary grants, research studies, and resources that guide education practice and policy to meet the needs of our country’s emergent bilingual students.

Prior to joining the Department, Viana served for eight years as an administrator of the Migrant Education Program for North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction. During that time, Viana also served as the vice-chair of the Governing Board for the North Carolina Farmworker Health Program.

Viana began his career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools as an elementary school teacher for English language learners and later was a humanities and technology instructor at an International Baccalaureate World School. Concurrently, Viana prepared and delivered general teaching skills sessions to Florida International University's undergraduate students receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in education in all levels and content areas. After acquiring his certification in educational leadership in 2006, Viana became an elementary school administrator for Durham (North Carolina) Public Schools, where he established the districtwide Title I Parent Advisement Committee for Hispanics to help ensure that Latino children from low-income families met challenging state academic standards.

Viana is a first-generation Cuban immigrant who started his primary years as an English language learner. The magnificent teachers he encountered in his early learning inspired him to become an educator. Viana has devoted his life to improving educational opportunities for minority populations and is honored to serve our nation's emergent bilinguals and their families.

Viana and his wife, Aimee, the former executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, have three children. Viana also manages to find time in the evenings to prepare high school students from China for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).