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Who's News May 2010
Angleton ISD Mark Comneck has been named assistant superintendent. A native of Brooklyn and Long Island, N.Y., he Arlington ISD The new assistant principal of Houston High School is Dwane Chappelle. He began his career as a
Ramona Trevino is the district’s new chief academic officer. She will oversee curriculum, bilingual
Brownsville ISD Tony Fuller has been appointed chief financial officer. He has spent his 26-year career
Leticia M. Salas will serve as the district’s director of elementary education when the new school year Clint ISD’s new math and science coordinator is Kimberly G. Williams, who began her career at the College Station ISD Greens Prairie Elementary School, set to open in August 2011, will have Donna Bairrington as its Coppell ISD Rhonda Carr will be the district’s new director of assessment, K-12. She has been with Coppell ISD since
Kelly Penny, chief financial officer, was elected to serve on the board of directors of the
Kandy Bond has been tapped to serve as principal of Reed Elementary, moving to her new position from Gina Guidry has been named principal of Sheridan Elementary School, where she has been assistant
The new principal for Goliad Elementary School came out of retirement in February to take on the job.
Suzanne McWilliams is the new assistant superintendent of accountability and learning. McWilliams McWilliams has 30 years of experience in the field of education, beginning her career as a teacher of first, third and fifth grades and physical education for students at Canton Elementary School in Canton ISD in 1980. She moved into education administration in 1990 as the assistant principal of J.E. Rhodes Elementary School in Van ISD before becoming the principal at Van Intermediate School in 1992. In 1998, McWilliams moved into central administration at Van ISD, where she currently serves as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Throughout her 12 years in the central administration office at Van ISD, McWilliams has worked as the executive director of human resources and as the technology director, has developed and administered the district’s state and federal budget, and has supervised the district’s principals and special programs department. McWilliams received her bachelor’s degree in education from The University of Texas at Tyler and earned a master’s degree in education from Texas A&M University – Commerce. She holds teaching certifications in elementary art and elementary self-contained and has completed the mid-management certification and the superintendent certification. McWilliams is a state board member of the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development and is a Certified Education Foundation Executive. Jacobs will retire from the district after more than 25 years of service with Forney ISD. Jacobs has served as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent throughout her tenure with the district. Frisco ISD Five new elementary and middle school principals have been named for the 2010-2011 school year. Shannon Acosta will lead Sonntag Elementary, coming to her new job from Tadlock Elementary. An
Phil Evans has been named principal of Cobb Middle School. An educator for 13 years, he was a teacher
Maus Middle School will have Cory McClendon as its principal. He taught for five years in Wichita Falls
Granbury ISD Jimmy Dawson, Acton Middle School principal, was honored in March with the Instructional Leader
Terry Felderhoff has accepted an offer to serve as Gruver ISD’s athletic director. For the past two years, Felderhoff has been the athletic director in Valley View ISD. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry B. Grier has announced the appointment of 14 school improvement officers, who will serve as part of Houston ISD’s leadership reorganization. The officers will report to three chief school officers (elementary, middle and high school) and will provide mentoring, coaching and support to district principals and staff. The new officers and their current positions are: Elementary school: Middle school: High school: Also, Nancy Matley, a Houston ISD executive principal, has been chosen to serve as the school compliance officer for the district’s high school charter network schools. Irving ISD Dana T. Bedden has been named superintendent. He comes to his new position from the Richmond Leander ISD Leander ISD’s newest campus, Four Points Middle School, will have Joe Ciccarelli as its principal. Ciccarelli, who has 25 years’ experience in education, 16 of those teaching in middle and high schools, will continue in his present position as assistant principal of Leander’s Cedar Park High until the new school opens this fall. He has a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas and a master’s degree and doctorate from Texas State University. Lindale ISD Moss Intermediate School’s assistant principal, Lori Anderson, has been promoted to principal of the
Sam Ayers, associate superintendent of K-12 teaching and learning for Lubbock ISD’s quadrants 3 and 4, Joining Ayers at Estacado High as assistant principal will be Jimmy Moore, currently principal of Dunbar
Mason ISD The new superintendent is Pam Kruse, who has been promoted from her position as principal of Mason Mesquite ISD Randy Jackson has been selected to serve as athletic director and head football coach at Poteet High School. He has more than 20 years’ experience, 10 of those as a head coach and athletic director. His first head coach position was in Paducah ISD, and he subsequently took on similar roles in Mason and DeKalb ISDs. From 1990 to 1999, he served in assistant positions at the 4A and 5A levels, including one year at West Mesquite High School. He transferred to Lone Oak ISD in 2004, where he will remain until the start of the next school year. Jackson is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University. Overton ISD Arthur “Bo” Talkington has returned to Overton High School as head football coach and athletic director, a position he previously held from 1981 to 1988. Plano ISD Twenty-four years after taking the lead job at Plano Senior High School, Principal Doyle Dean has announced his upcoming retirement. Dean’s first assignment as an educator was as an eighth grade math teacher for the district in 1965. He began his administrative career in 1970, serving as assistant principal in several Plano schools until 1986, when he accepted the principal position at Plano Senior High. With 45 years of experience in Plano ISD, Dean is the district’s longest-serving employee. A few hours after sending his letter of resignation to district administrators, Dean was on his way to Phoenix, Ariz., to attend a national conference for secondary school principals. Rockwall ISD Jeff Bailey, who has been serving as deputy superintendent since May 2009, has been promoted to
Jolene Yoakum, an educator with more than 30 years’ experience, has been named assistant Seguin High School has a new head football coach and athletic director. He is Wayne Walker, a coach for 22 years, most recently in La Grange ISD. During his 1994-2005 tenure as offensive coordinator at Ennis High School in Ennis ISD, the Lions took home three state 4A championships. Socorro ISD (El Paso) Eastlake High School has its first athletic coordinator/head football coach. He is Jimmy J. Calderon,
Steve Burleson has been named the district’s superintendent. He is an educator with 34 years of experience, including 10 of those as a teacher and coach in Sanderson, Sweetwater, Gruver and Perryton ISDs. He was a campus administrator in Perryton, Booker and Abernathy ISDs. He spent two years as assistant superintendent of Morton ISD and five years as superintendent of Spur ISD, before transferring to his most recent position as assistant superintendent of administrative services in Frenship ISD. Burleson’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Sul Ross State University in Alpine. Victoria ISD For the 2010-2011 school year, Courtney Carter has been hired as head volleyball coach at Victoria West High School. She comes to Victoria from Wharton ISD, where she currently is the head basketball and volleyball coach. The new head band director for Victoria East High School is David Edge. He has been with Victoria ISD since 1999. Mickey Finley, head coach at Memorial High School for the past three years, will take on the role of head coach at Victoria East High School. Victoria West High School will have Ron Blane Hinton as its head band director. Prior to joining Victoria ISD, he held positions in Brownfield and Snyder ISDs, as well as with Abilene Christian University. He taught music for several years before coming to the district this school year as an assistant band director. The new coordinator of assessment and accountability will be Dionne Loughman, currently assistant Leonard McAngus has been named head football coach and coordinator for Victoria West High School. He served as offensive coordinator, head strength and conditioning coach, and sociology and physical education teacher at Victoria High School from 1990 to 1996. He then transferred to Gonzales ISD, where he spent seven years as the high school’s head coach. In 2002, he became the head football coach at Northwest High School in Justin ISD. He is currently director of campus services in health, physical education and athletics at that school. Jayme Pauley will move from serving as head volleyball coach at Memorial High School to the same role at Victoria East High School. Willis ISD Ben Cooper is stepping down from his position of athletic director, but he will remain with Willis ISD as an administrator, taking on the role of assistant principal at Parmley Elementary School. Cooper began his career as a head coach in Aldine ISD, spending five years in that position before becoming an assistant principal in the district, where he remained for three years. He then transferred to Conroe ISD as a junior high assistant principal. He spent 12 years in the private sector before returning to Willis ISD as the high school assistant principal and then principal. He became the athletic director in 2006. Kelly Savoy, Willis High School girls’ basketball coach, is the district’s new athletic director. He has been with Willis ISD for 12 years and previously served as a coach in North Carolina. CORRECTION In the April 2010 issue of Texas School Business, we made some errors in the item about Midland ISD Superintendent Sylvester Perez’s retirement. Perez took on the position of athletic director in Harlandale ISD in 1988. He then served as principal of Harlandale ISD’s McCollum High School before becoming superintendent in Mathis ISD. We sincerely regret the errors. |
earned his bachelor of arts degree in education from Bethany College in West Virginia and arrived in Brazosport ISD in 1981, where he taught and coached for seven years. He came to Angleton ISD as assistant principal of Angleton Middle School, and then he served in the same capacity in Spring Branch ISD for a year. He returned to Angleton to take the principal position at Angleton Middle School and Angleton Middle School East. In 2005, he accepted his first central office administration role as director of secondary education, where he remained until accepting his new responsibilities. Comneck’s master of science degree in school administration is from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.
resource teacher in Richardson ISD in 2004, moving to Plano ISD in 2007 to serve first as dean of students at a secondary campus and later as an assistant principal. He was also a juvenile detention officer for the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department from 2003 to 2009. Chapelle’s bachelor’s degree is from Louisiana’s Grambling State University and his master’s degree is from Texas A&M University at Commerce.
oppell ISD, where he taught high school world geography and coached football and basketball, serving as the passing coordinator and coaching quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs. He transferred to Colleyville’s Heritage High School in 2005 to teach world geography and act as quarterback and track coach. He arrived in Arlington ISD in 2006, teaching world geography at Bowie High School, where he was also the football offensive coordinator and junior varsity soccer coach. Fuller’s bachelor’s degree is from Emporia State University in Kansas.
education and special education and direct the planning, development and administration of academic programs. Trevino, who is the chief executive officer and founding principal of The University of Texas Elementary School, is also an assistant professor with The University of Texas College of Communications. She is the former principal of Austin’s Zilker Elementary School.
two and a half years as principal of the middle school and high school. Prior to taking on administrative responsibilities, she was a classroom teacher for 15 years. Smith earned her master’s degree in education administration from Texas A&M University at Texarkana.
in the district’s business office, starting out as an accountant after earning his accounting degree from Pan American University in Brownsville (now The University of Texas - Pan American). He worked his way up in the district, serving next as accounting supervisor and subsequently as a budget administrator, interim payroll administrator and interim chief financial officer.
begins. She began her career as an educator in 1990 as a third grade teacher at Our Lady of Assumption School in El Paso. She then taught for a year at Dolphin Terrace Elementary in El Paso’s Ysleta ISD, before leaving El Paso to teach for two years in Taylor ISD. She returned to El Paso as a fourth grade teacher at Clint ISD’s Montana Vista Elementary before joining Socorro ISD, first as a classroom teacher at Martinez Elementary and then as assistant principal at Horizon Heights Elementary. Her first principal assignment came in 2003 at Campestre Elementary, where she served for three years. In 2007, Salas became principal of Horizon Heights Elementary, where she will continue to serve through the end of this school year. She received her bachelor’s degree in education and her master’s degree in educational administration from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Elizabethtown Alternative Center in Elizabethtown, Ky., where she taught math, chemistry, earth sciences, biology, English, and arts and sciences. She arrived in El Paso in 2005 to teach math at Socorro High School. Two years later, she became the curriculum coach at Sanchez Middle School in Socorro ISD. In 2008, she became dean of instruction and assistant principal of the school, her most recent assignment. Williams earned her bachelor of science degree in secondary education/mathematics from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and her master’s degree in education/administration and supervision from the University of Phoenix. She is working on her doctorate at Liberty University.
principal. She will complete this school year as principal of Pebble Creek Elementary and begin her new job this summer, working on the finalization of the new school’s building details, assembling a staff and faculty and developing a PTO. Bairrington has been with the district for 16 years, having spent five years as academic coordinator at Pebble Creek before becoming its principal in 2007. She has also been academic coordinator and a science teacher at Prairie Rock Elementary, and was an elementary teacher for four years in Bryan ISD. Bairrington has a bachelor of science degree in education from the College of Charleston and a master of science degree in adult and extension education from Texas A&M University.
2008 as assistant principal of Coppell Middle School West. She has a bachelor’s degree in deaf education from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of North Texas. Her principal certification was earned from Texas Woman’s University.
istrator of the Year by the Texas Association of School Librarians. Her nomination noted that she is an advocate for the district’s library department and a leader who promotes the vision for developing libraries best suited for 21st century learning.
Texas Association of School Business Officials. She came to Coppell ISD in 2007.
Frazier Elementary, where she has been assistant principal for the past two years. An educator with 15 years’ experience, 11 of those with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, she began her career as a teacher at Houston ISD’s Wesley and Smith elementary schools. Upon arriving in Cypress-Fairbanks, she taught for two years at Horne Elementary, was a math helping teacher at Lieder Elementary for two years and then spent a year as the instructional specialist at Frazier. Her first assistant principal position was at Copeland Elementary, where she served for a year before spending three years in the same role at Hairgrove Elementary. Bond has a bachelor of science degree in criminology and corrections from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from the University of Houston.
principal for the past 15 years. An educator for 27 years, 26 of those with the district, her first teaching assignment was at Lieder Elementary, where she taught for six years before spending a year as the school’s assistant principal. She then was named an assistant principal at Sheridan. She moved to Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, and taught English for a year before returning to Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Sheridan. Guidry’s bachelor of science degree in elementary education and her master of arts degree in education are from Stephen F. Austin State University. She is certified in mid-management and supervision.
reins at Sampson Elementary School as its principal. An educator for 19 years, she has spent her career with the district. She was a teacher at Adam Elementary for seven years before accepting her first administrative position as an assistant principal at Ault Elementary, where she served for 11 years. She is a graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor of science degree in education. Her master of education degree in administration is from Prairie View A&M University.
begins. Currently serving as assistant principal of Emmott Elementary, she has 15 years’ experience as an educator, 12 of those in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. She began her career as a teacher in Deer Park ISD, coming to Cypress-Fairbanks in 1998 to teach special education at Copeland Elementary. She became an instructional specialist at Holbrook Elementary in 2002, staying there for one year before taking on her current position at Emmott. Romero-Mueller has a bachelor of science degree in elementary curriculum and special education from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a master of education degree in administration from Sam Houston State University.
Martha Mitchell, a former principal of Burleson Elementary and Ector Junior High, is the school’s new leader. She began her career in 1971 as a health and physical education teacher and gymnastics coach at Permian High School, where she remained until 1992. At that time, she took on the responsibility of magnet program director at Blackshear Magnet Elementary. In 1994, she was appointed principal at the school. From 2002 to 2005, Mitchell was principal of Ector Junior High School, moving to serve as principal of Burleson Elementary from 2005 until her retirement in 2008.
replaces Linda Jacobs, who will retire from the district in June.
educator with nine years of experience, she was a teacher for seven years before helping to open Tadlock in 2008 as its assistant principal. Both her degrees were earned in New York: her bachelor’s degree from Canisius College and her master’s degree from Niagara University.
in Plano and McKinney ISDs for six years, and he was a middle school dean of students/assistant principal in Plano for five years before coming to Frisco ISD as assistant principal of Liberty High School. He has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas.
Wester Middle School. He taught for six years in Fort Worth and Plano ISDs and was dean of students for two years, until 2006 when he joined Frisco ISD. His bachelor’s degree is from Emporia State University in Kansas, and his master’s and doctoral degrees are from the University of North Texas.
and Plano ISDs and arrived in Frisco in 2004 to teach at Centennial High School. He has spent the past three years as assistant principal of Roach Middle School. McClendon earned his bachelor’s degree from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls and his master’s degree from the University of North Texas.
tary. An educator for 11 years, she was a teacher, librarian and administrator in Terrell and Crandall ISDs before taking her job at Ogle in 2006. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University – Commerce.
Award from Tarleton State University’s Effective Schools Project. Founded to provide professional development activities that involve school principals and university professors and administrators, the project has evolved from its inception in 1988 to be one of the nation’s largest and longest-running school improvement ventures. Dawson was principal of Granbury Middle School from 2003 to 2007, at which time he took on the lead role at Acton. His education career began in 1993 as a teacher and coach in Borger ISD, where he subsequently became an assistant principal before accepting a position as an elementary school principal in Plainview ISD.
conference, held in Houston in March, for her work on “Dr. JAC’s Math: Reading, Writing Connections,” which she co-authored with Joyce Armstrong Carroll. Abydos, which was formerly known as the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas (NJWPT), is a research-based program that improves the teaching of writing by working to increase teachers’ knowledge base through hands-on demonstrations and the integration of all language arts skills. Wood, who was previously Granbury ISD’s instructional technology coordinator and who has been an Abydos trainer since 2004, took on her present job in 2009.
County School System in Augusta, Ga., where he served as superintendent. A native of Florida, Bedden began his career in 1991 as a middle school health teacher and basketball coach in Pinellas County Public Schools in Largo, Fla. With a move to Pennsylvania, he was athletic director for the City of York School District, then served as a district community and athletic resource administrator for Exeter Township School District. His next assignment was as a sub-school principal at Mount Vernon High School in Fairfax, Va. He was then principal of School Without Walls Senior High School in Washington D.C. He returned to Pennsylvania in 2003 to serve as the central region superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia. In 2007, he took on his most recent assignment in Georgia. Bedden earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Florida and a master of education degree from Pennsylvania State University. His doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies is from Virginia Tech University.
school. Over a 10-year period at Moss, she taught sixth grade language arts and math and fifth grade language arts, math and science. She became the school’s assistant principal in 2006. Anderson earned an associate of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from Tyler Junior College, subsequently graduating cum laude from The University of Texas at Tyler with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She earned a master’s degree in educational administration and her principal’s certification from that institution as well.
has been named the new principal of Estacado High School. He initially was a fifth grade teacher in San Antonio’s Alamo Heights ISD. He arrived in Lubbock in 1986 as a teacher at Iles Elementary Magnet School. He then took on the job of instructional specialist/assistant principal at Hardwick, Harwell, Bozeman, Rush, Bowie and Iles elementary schools, becoming principal of Hardwick in 1992. He next served as principal of Wilson Elementary Magnet School and principal of Hutchinson Middle School before becoming Lubbock ISD’s assistant superintendent for elementary education, where he remained until taking his current position. In addition, he has been an adjunct assistant professor at Wayland Baptist University and Lubbock Christian University, and a lecturer at Texas Tech University.
Middle School. He has been with Lubbock ISD since 1996, having taught and coached for four years at Estacado High. He then spent four years with Lubbock Christian University, first as head women’s basketball coach and then as athletic director. He returned to Lubbock ISD in 2005 as assistant principal of Estacado High, taking on the head role at Dunbar in 2006. Moore’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Lubbock Christian University.
School since 2007, will retire at the end of this school year. An educator since 1977, he began as a middle school physical education teacher and athletic director. He became assistant principal of Lubbock’s largest junior high school, Evans, in 1988. In 1991, he took on the same role at the city’s largest high school, Coronado, where he remained until accepting principal positions, first at Atkins Junior High and then at Cavazos Junior High. He then served for two years as the executive director of the district’s at-risk and dropout prevention program before taking the lead role at Estacado. Vasquez earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Texas Tech University.
from Iles Elementary, where he has served as principal since 1998. He began his career in 1985 as a teacher at Lubbock State School. After three years in that position, he was a case coordinator for mentally handicapped students at Bethpage Mission South. His work in Texas public schools started in Lubbock ISD in 1990. His first administrative assignment came in serving as assistant principal of Dunbar Middle School from 1993 to 1995. He then was assistant principal for instruction at Cavazos Junior High for three years until taking on his role at Iles. Additionally, Yearwood was an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University and continues to serve in the same capacity at Lubbock Christian University and as a senior instructor in the pre-engineering summer program at Texas Tech University’s Department of Mathematics. He has an associate of arts degree from the New Mexico Military Institute. He also has a bachelor’s degree in geosciences/geology, a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate in educational leadership, all from Texas Tech University.
High School. An educator who has spent her career with the district, she began as a coach and a teacher of family and consumer sciences and math in 1987. In addition to coaching girls’ basketball and girls’ and boys’ track, she was the cheerleading coach and served as the executive director of Mason ISD’s Education Foundation. Kruse took her first administrative position in 2004, as assistant principal of Mason Elementary/Junior High for a year before taking on the job of principal of the junior high. After three years in that job, she was named principal of Mason High, where she has served until accepting her new position. Kruse has a bachelor of science degree from Angelo State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg. Her superintendent certification was also earned from Angelo State.
superintendent. Prior to coming to Rockwall, he was with Plano ISD, where he began his career in 1979, teaching and coaching. He subsequently served in that district as an assistant principal, principal and personnel director before being named deputy superintendent in 2007, with responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Plano ISD’s 68 campuses. Bailey earned both his bachelor of science degree in secondary education and his master of science in educational administration from East Texas State University.
superintendent of curriculum and instruction. She comes to Seguin from Houston ISD, where she was interim assistant superintendent of secondary curriculum, instruction and assessment. Yoakum has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri University, a master’s degree from Central Missouri State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
an El Paso native who played football for Ysleta ISD’s Hanks High School. He then played for four years at his university alma mater, Sul Ross State University, where he began his coaching career, serving as an assistant football coach and athletic recruiter. He next worked as an assistant varsity coach in Houston ISD’s Elsik High School and at Giddings High School in Giddings ISD. He returned to El Paso in 2001 as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator for Riverside High School in Ysleta ISD, where he remained for six years. He was promoted to head coach in 2007.
principal of Shields Magnet School. She has been with the district since 1995, when she taught at Rowland Elementary School. She then taught in Austwell-Tivoli ISD, returning to Victoria in 2001 as Smith Magnet School’s reading/language arts curriculum facilitator, the position she held until transferring to Shields Magnet in 2007. She earned her bachelor of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University and her master of education degree in administration and supervision from the University of Houston.