Tolene has 36 years of experience in education, including teaching grades K-6 and serving as an elementary principal in Madison County. After retiring, she presented at conferences with the Kentucky Center for Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, providing professional learning opportunities for educators across Kentucky. She also worked as a Pearson Education Specialist, where she delivered professional development on formative and summative assessments in multiple states.

Tolene is deeply committed to supporting educators through the Numeracy Counts Administrator Academy, which helps Kentucky schools achieve their math goals by providing research-based strategies for building school-wide math programs. Her passion for enhancing math education and supporting students drives her work with the academy.