Logo courtesy of Jackson-Madison County School System
The following is from JMCSS Superintendent Dr. Marlon King:
“One of America’s most noted authors, Jim Collins, said it best – first who; then what — get the right people on the bus and place them in the right seat. This is a well-known concept amongst purposeful leaders throughout the nation when cultivating a robust and coherent organization. As with every school year, there are shifts, or better yet, there are opportunities to get the right people on the right seat on the bus. In my administration, the majority of my shifts in leadership come as retirements, while there are a few other anomalies (i.e., relocation, new roles, etc.). I have been fortunate to have only had one retirement (who returned on a 120-day contract) in the two years that I have served as superintendent. As I said on the Roadshow in 2020, I am ‘gonna’ make it hard for you to leave me (smile). I am grateful and very humbled to serve alongside some extraordinary leaders in this system.
When I launched my new organizational structure, I was very intentional about having principals report directly to me while my chief officers (i.e., chief academic officer, chief operations officer, chief human capital officer, etc.) report to my deputy superintendents. Both the principals and chief officers make up the Senior Leadership Team, and these roles are equal in voice and influence within my administration. It is no secret — I am a child advocate, and the only way to know what happens with students is that I remain close to the principals. For this reason, I spend time with principals in our weekly Senior Leadership meetings, engaging around what students know, what students don’t know, and what we can do for students who don’t have resources, etc.
While serving in my past role as superintendent, I used the same structure that I am implementing in JMCSS. For example, Dr. Breeden (JCM Middle School’s principal) was the Chief of Compliance and Monitoring Officer (Federal Programs) at the central office but was later assigned to a school as principal, where she became a Reward School principal. Our current Chief Human Capital Officer, Dr. Hicks-Watkins, served as a level 5 high school principal but was later brought to the central office as Chief Operations Officer. These are a few examples of names that provide context around my philosophy in creating a stalwart organization. I have seen organizations go from good to great in rotating chief officers and principals.
With that being said, I would like to share the shifts within the 2022-2023 Senior Leadership team. I will only share those members who will be serving on my Senior Leadership team. Other leadership assignments will be introduced at the opening of the schools’ Annual Back-to-School Teacher Leadership Conference (TLC). Absolutely, we are having a TLC this upcoming year, and it will be a blast! I cannot wait to share more in the coming weeks.
Some of the new roles will include System-wide RTI (Reading) Coordinators, Director of Professional Development (Leadership), Director of Professional Development (Academics), Director of STEM & Computer Science, etc.
Dr. Bryan Chandler will be shifting to Executive Principal of North Side High School. Dr. Chandler has served as principal of several elementary schools, district office supervisor for transportation, and most recently, Chief Operations Officer, where he led the transition of students for the new Madison Academic High School and the newly renovated JCM Middle and JCM High School. He is an alum of JMCSS (graduate of North Side High School).
Dr. Tiffany Green will be shifting to Executive Principal of Rose Hill School. Dr. Green has led as Chief Talent and Strategy Officer as well as Chief Human Capital Officer. Currently, she is responsible for overseeing our $50 million-plus ESSER dollars. She has been a former school teacher and principal of Whitehall Pre-K Center.
Dr. Teresa Littrell McSweeney will be joining as Chief Innovation Officer. She will oversee our STEM & Computer Scincework, Innovation Impact Institutes, LOOP expansion, LAUNCH program – reimagined, Workforce Development Center, and JMCSS Teacher Residency Program, are just to name a few. She was a former principal of Rose Hill School and has served in a number of administrative roles. She left her role as principal to launch our cyberschool – JASA. She is an alum of JMCSS (graduate of North Side High School).
Dr. Patrice Richardson-Martin will be joining as Chief Compliance and Monitoring Officer. She will oversee all federal program efforts such as Title 1, Special Services, High Priority Schools, and other state-related projects. She will transition from her current role as Director of Priority Schools. She comes from the Tennessee Department of Education as the Executive Director of the Southwest CORE office (a state department regional support service center). She is an alum of JMCSS (West High School).
Mr. Jason Bridgeman will be shifting to Chief Operations Officer. After 8 years as principal of North Side and several years as a high school principal in other Tennessee school districts, Mr. Bridgeman will assume new territory. He will oversee capital projects, Maintenance, Facilities & Grounds, and all of the new initiatives such as the Pope School project, The Hub City Central Complex, which includes the new central office and renovation of Oman Arena, and much, much more. He is an alum of JMCSS (JCM High School).
Ms. Annie Atkins will be joining as Senior Principal of Lincoln Elementary School. Ms. Atkins has served as assistant principal of Liberty Technology Magnet High School. She has held administrative roles (assistant principal) at Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary School as well as an administrator at Lincoln Elementary School. Also, she was a former school counselor in the JMCSS.
Mrs. Shannon Davis will be joining as Senior Principal of Alexander Elementary School. Ms. Davis has served as JCM Early College High School assistant principal, where she has led the dual enrollment work with Jackson State Community College to ensure that our students receive associate’s degrees. She was a former elementary teacher in the JMCSS.”