List of 24 superintendent applicants

At the end of the application period on Friday, 24 people applied to be the next Knox County Schools Superintendent. Below is a list of the 24 applicants.

Susan Compton

 

Superintendent of the Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Henry Hudson School District in Highlands, New Jersey. Compton previously served as the superintendent for the Russell Independent School System in Russell, Kentucky. In 2013, Compton was selected as one of the finalists for the Oak Ride school superintendent position.

Bob Thomas

 

Assistant superintendent for administrative services with Knox County Schools. Thomas attended The University of Tennessee and has worked as an educator in Knoxville since 1973. Thomas has served as the Knox County Schools assistant superintendent since 1990. Thomas was selected as a finalist for the superintendent position back in 2008.

Tryvan Leech, Sr.

 

Executive Director of State and Federal Programs for Youngstown City Schools in Youngstown, Ohio. Leech has worked in the education system since 1996, starting as a science controller and working up to principal of Youngstown City Schools in Ohio in 2014.

Carrmilla Young

 

Superintendent of Agape Public Charter Schools out of Fresno, California. Has served in various administrative positions over the years, including as principal of Fuller Elementary School in Chicago for three years. Earned her master's in education in 2009 at Walden University in Minneapolis.

Jon Rysewyk

 

Interim Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Knox County Schools. In 2014, Rysewyk was unanimously named as the founding principal of Emerald Academy after serving as executive principal of Fulton High School from 2008 to 2012. He earned his master's degree in education from the University of Tennessee, and has served as an educator since 1999.

Stuart Greenberg

 

Chief Academic Officer for Leon County Schools in Tallahassee, Florida. Greenberg is a longtime Florida administrator and has been looking to move up to a superintendent position. In 2015, he applied for a superintendent position to lead Metro Nashville's school system.

Duran Williams

 

Serving as Unified Services Director for Tennessee Education Association since 2014. Williams oversees District 4, which includes Knox County Schools, Pellisippi State Community College, the Tennessee School for the Deaf, and the University of Tennessee. He earned his doctorate in education administration and policy studies from the University of Tennessee. He's served in a variety of administrative positions, including being the longtime principal of Cosby High School in Cocke County.

Ronald Blair, Jr.

ESE Inclusion Teacher for Jesse Keen Elementary School in Lakeland, Florida. Blair studied public relations and earned his master's in special education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. He has worked primarily in Florida, serving as a special education teacher since July 2005.

Andy Spears

 

Adjunct Professor in public administration for Tennessee State University. Spears has a long-standing background in government policy advising and non-profit leadership. He created and runs Spears Strategy and Strong Schools, two advocacy agencies.

Timothy Gadson

 

Executive director, curriculum and schools for Robbinsdale Area Schools in Minnesota. Gadson previously served as the associate superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia. Gadson has served as an educator since 1993, starting out as a teacher at Woodlands Middle School in West Palm Beach, Florida. He earned his doctorate in higher education administration at Washington State University.

Teresa Lance

 

School leadership officer for Harrison District 2 Schools in Colorado Springs. Has served in educational leadership positions, including principal of Community Education Partnership in Houston, an alternative school for at-risk students.

Mark Chandler

Superintendent of Des Moines Municipal Schools in Des Moines, New Mexico.

Elizabeth MacTavish

 

Clinical Assistant Professor for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Sonia Diaz

 

Chief Academic Officer for Framingham Public Schools in Framingham, Massachusetts.

John Stoddard

 

Principal for Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dale Lynch

 

Superintendent of Schools for Hamblen County Schools System in Morristown.

Ronnie Dotson

 

Superintendent of Schools for Carter County School District in Kentucky.

Catherine Beck

 

Assistant superintendent of the 3,500-student Summit County School District in Colorado.

Cedrick Gray

 

A former ‘superintendent of the year” by the National Association of Superintendents, Gray stepped down as leader of the Jackson Public Schools, a 28-000-student system in Mississippi. He previously worked as the director of schools in Fayette County in West Tennessee but left in 2012 after questions about financial discrepancies in school spending arose.

Andrei Ghelman

Secondary coordinator for the 47,000 student, 59 schools Collier County Public Schools in Naples, Fla. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. He previously worked as a teacher and principal for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Thomas Graves

An educational consultant since 2010, he also served as the assistant superintendent of Washington County Schools in Abingdon, Va. From 2006 to 2010.

Tonya Harris

 

Superintendent of the St. Louis charter school Preclarus Mastery Academy. The school, which for years had a high student absentee rate, has seen some improvements. Harris previously worked as an assistant principal in for District of Columbia Public Schools.

Andrè L. Wright

 

Learning Community Director for Aurora Public Schools in Colorado. Prior to assuming an executive role, served as principal of Woodland Middle School in Fulton County, Georgia. Wright earned his master's in educatioal leadership from Lincoln Memorial University.

Robert Vick

 

Principal for Parrotsville Elementary School in Cocke County.