KILLEEN, Texas – Killeen ISD Superintendent Dr. John Craft has announced the appointment of Dr. Jo-Lynette Crayton as Chief Learning Officer for Elementary Schools and Dr. Susan Buckley as Chief Learning Officer for Secondary Schools.
This comes through the consolidation of the curriculum and leadership departments across the district.
As part of the restructuring plan, Dr. Carrie Parker and Steve Hudson will serve as the Executive Directors of Elementary Schools under Dr. Crayton, and Dagmar Harris will serve as one of two Executive Directors of Secondary Schools under Dr. Buckley.
Mike Quinn will join Ms. Harris as the additional Executive Director of Secondary Schools. Quinn is a 25-year veteran of Killeen ISD and has both middle and high school leadership experience. Providing operational and instructional support for Secondary Principals, Quinn will oversee the managerial guidance for secondary and alternative campuses and will be responsible for the effective and efficient, staffing, scheduling, budget, culture and building utilization.
An expert in instructional delivery, Quinn served as the Principal for Audie Murphy Middle School for 11 years as well as the Assistant Principal at Shoemaker High School for five years. In his new role that begins next month, he will provide support to administrators in the area of district policy, administration support and student procedures.
Quinn has his master’s degree in Education Administration from Tarleton State University. He will begin his new role next month.
Starting July 1, Dr. Jennifer Warren, will succeed Quinn as the Principal of Audie Murphy Middle School. Warren is currently the Principal of Oveta Culp Hobby Elementary School on Fort Hood. Warren has been instrumental in developing a positive campus culture that makes Hobby a welcoming home for military families over the past six years.
Warren has spent her entire tenure in Killeen ISD, starting out as a third-grade teacher, Math coach, Intervention Team Leader and GT coordinator she then set her sights on campus administration. Her passion to grow effective leaders and students makes her new role par for success.
Warren attained her Doctorate of Education, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Tarleton State University.
Alena Thomas has been named Principal of Oveta Culp Hobby Elementary School.
Thomas’ passion for education began as a parent volunteer at Mountain View Elementary School. She then became an Instructional Aide until becoming a Special Education teacher at Willow Springs Elementary, a Kindergarten teacher at Skipcha Elementary, and a summer school tutor for the HARP program. In 2016, she became a District Instructional Coach before accepting a position as an Assistant Principal at Dr. Joseph A. Fowler Elementary School.
Thomas attained her master’s degree in Business Administration from Saint Leo University.
Nickolas Smith has been named Principal for Meadows Elementary.
He joined the district last year as the Director for Secondary School Support. Smith, has 11 years of experience as a principal and was named a National Distinguished Principal finalist by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. Prior to joining KISD, Smith was the Principal of Gatesville Intermediate School and the Principal of Early College High School in Comal ISD.
Smith is set to complete his Doctorate of Education in August 2020.
Peter Hartley, the current principal of Meadows Elementary, will continue his passion to educate children overseas after having served the students and families of Central Texas for over 14 years.
Jessica Taylor will serve as the Principal for Pershing Park Elementary, following Linda Butler’s retirement in December.
Taylor is currently the Assistant Principal at Venable Village Elementary School. Her fifteen-year career in education spans across multiple roles including Summer School Director, Campus Instructional Specialist and a 5th-grade teacher at Pershing Park Elementary School, where she worked for eight years.
Taylor has her master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Tarleton State University-Central Texas.
Following the retirement of Jeremy Key, after 28 years of service in education, Gina Brown will join Killeen ISD as the new principal of Eastern Hills Middle School. Brown is currently serving as an Assistant Principal in Pflugerville ISD.
Source: Killeen Independent School District
