Administrative Appointments Announced in May
May 13, 2021
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is announcing multiple administrative appointments for the 2021-2022 school year.
May 21, 2021
In response to student enrollment growth at Kenwood, New Providence, and Richview middle schools, CMCSS has selected the following half-time assistant principals for those schools beginning the 2021-22 school year.
Kenwood Middle School
Dr. Charlsie Gordian has been selected as a half-time assistant principal at Kenwood Middle School. Currently, she is an Academic Coach at Kenwood Middle and has previously served as an Intervention Coordinator and teacher at New Providence Middle School. Prior to joining CMCSS in 2016, she had seven years of experience in teaching and substitute teaching roles in Kentucky.
Dr. Gordian earned her Ed.D. in School Administration, Ed.S. in Educational Leadership with administrator certification, and M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY. She earned her B.S. in Middle Grades Education from Murray State University in Murray, KY and associate degrees in Applied Science, Arts, and Science from Hopkinsville Community College in Hopkinsville, KY. She completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators and CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy.
New Providence Middle School
Taylor Massie has been selected as a half-time assistant principal at New Providence Middle School. Currently, she serves as a Virtual Teacher and the AVID Coordinator at New Providence. She started her career in CMCSS in 2013 at New Providence and has served as a Language Arts teacher, lead teacher, and Site-Based Induction Specialist. She was named a Distinguished Educator in 2019 and was the Green Apple recipient in 2015.
Massie earned her Ed.S. in Accountability and Instructional Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and a B.A. in English from Austin Peay State University. She completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators and CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy.
Richview Middle School
Verlina Heady has been selected as a half-time assistant principal at Richview Middle School. Since 2004, she has served as a Reading, Language Arts, and Writing teacher at Richview. Over her seventeen years of experience in education, she also has served as a team leader, student-teacher and new employee mentor, and a student tutor and mentor. At the higher-education level, she serves as a writing tutor and reading specialist for college students.
Heady earned her Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision from Austin Peay State University, M.Ed. in School Counseling from the University of West Alabama, and B.S. in English from Austin Peay State University.
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May 14, 2021
Director of Curriculum and Instruction 9-12
Dr. Schanda Doughty has been selected as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction 9-12, replacing Dr. Brandi Blackley who will be transitioning to Kenwood High School as an assistant principal.
Dr. Doughty has been the principal of Rossview High School since 2016, previously serving as an assistant principal at the school for seven years and one year at West Creek Middle. She began her teaching career in CMCSS in 2000 at Clarksville High and also taught at Rossview High. During her 21-year career with CMCSS, she has earned numerous awards and recognitions, including the Green Apple Award (2002 & 2004), Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award, and the TSSAA Region 5 Principal of the Year Award.
She earned her Ed.D. in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change from Lipscomb University, M.A. in Education from Austin Peay State University, and Bachelor of Science in Business Education from Murray State University. Doughty completed the CMCSS Aspiring Administrator Academy, CMCSS Advanced Leadership Training for Assistant Principals, and McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators.
Kenwood High School Assistant Principal
Brandi Blackley has been selected as an assistant principal at Kenwood High School, beginning the 2021-2022 school year.
Blackley has been the Director of Curriculum and Instruction 9-12 since 2019. Previously, she served as an assistant principal at Northwest High School. Before beginning her career with CMCSS in 2017, she was an assistant principal at Covington High and Brighton Middle schools and had served in instructional support roles in Shelby and Tipton counties. Additionally, Blackley has 18 years of teaching experience in schools in Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Over her 25-year career in education, she has served on numerous school-, district-, and state-level curriculum, assessment, and professional-learning committees.
She earned her master’s in educational leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and B.A. in English from Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss.
Moore Magnet Elementary School Principal
Kelsea Cox has been selected to serve as the principal of Moore Magnet Elementary STEM School, replacing Ptosha Maclin who will be transitioning to Carmel Elementary as the principal.
Cox has been an assistant principal at Barkers Mill Elementary School since 2016. Previously, she has served as an Academic Coach, RTI2 Specialist, and first-grade teacher at Barkers Mill, beginning her tenure with CMCSS in 2011. She has served on several local and state-level committees, including the APSU Teacher Education Council, Tennessee Teacher-Leader Network, and the TN Governor’s ELA Standards Review Committee.
She earned her M.A. in Educational Leadership and B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Austin Peay State University. Cox completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators and the CMCSS Leadership Development Class Series.
West Creek Elementary Principal
Melanie Steinlage has been selected to serve as the principal of West Creek Elementary School, replacing Lynne Rains who will be transitioning to Barkers Mill Elementary as the principal.
Steinlage has been the assistant principal at Byrns Darden Elementary School since 2018. Previously, she has served as an Academic Coach at Byrns Darden and Hazelwood elementary schools and a teacher at Hazelwood Elementary, beginning her tenure with CMCSS in 2010. She also has served as a Site-Based Induction Specialist and on several school and district-level committees.
She earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership K-12 from the University of Tennessee Martin and her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. Steinlage completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators as well as several Kagan Professional Development Workshops.
Barkers Mill Elementary School Assistant Principal
Kim B. Smith has been selected to serve as an assistant principal at Barkers Mill Elementary School.
Smith has served as the assistant principal at Carmel Elementary since 2018. She has 13 years of experience in school leadership, having served as principal of Moore Magnet Elementary and assistant principal at Minglewood Elementary. Smith began her tenure with CMCSS in 1990 as a teacher at Ringgold Elementary School and also has taught at St. Bethlehem and Kenwood elementary schools. Over her 31 years in the district, Smith has earned numerous awards and recognitions, including the NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher designation, the Green Apple Award, Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award, CMCSS K-4 Teacher of the Year in both 2000 and 2005, and was a state finalist for Tennessee Teacher of the Year.
She earned both her M.A. and B.S. in education from Austin Peay State University and her administrative endorsement from Trevecca Nazarene University. Smith completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators, CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy, and the CMCSS Leadership Development Class Series.
CMCSS K-12 Virtual School Assistant Principal
Danielle Head has been selected to serve as an assistant principal at CMCSS K-12 Virtual School.
Head has been serving as a Technology Integration Coach for the district since 2017. Previously, she served as a teacher at Carmel and Moore Magnet elementary schools and began her career with CMCSS in 2009 as a substitute teacher. Head has earned several national certifications, including the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and she is in the process of completing the International Society for Technology in Education Certification.
She earned her Ed.S. in Administration from Arkansas State University and her M.A. in Elementary Education and B.A. in Communications from Austin Peay State University. Head completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators.
Liberty Elementary School Assistant Principal
Donna Gagliardi has been selected to serve as the assistant principal at Liberty Elementary School.
Gagliardi has been an assistant principal at Minglewood Elementary School since 2018, previously serving in a split assistant principal position between Minglewood and Ringgold elementary schools in 2017-18. Before entering school leadership, she was an Academic Coach at Ringgold and had over 20 years of teaching experience in Tennessee and Illinois. She also has served as a Site-Based Induction Specialist and on other school- and district-level curriculum, professional learning, and leadership committees. Gagliardi has earned several honors, including Ringgold Teacher of the Year nominee (2013, 2014, & 2015), Distinguished Classroom Teacher of the Year, and Disney’s American Teacher Award Semi-Finalist in 1999.
She earned her master’s in Educational Leadership from Austin Peay State University and bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University. Gagliardi completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators and the CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy.
Montgomery Central Middle School Assistant Principal
Johnathan Stoll has been selected to serve as an assistant principal at Montgomery Central Middle School.
Stoll has served as the Student Support Coordinator at New Providence Middle School since June 2018, beginning his teaching career at the school in 2013. Previously, he served as a substitute teacher for CMCSS. Stoll has participated in several school- and district-level professional learning and curriculum roles and was the district’s Eighth-Grade Science Lead Teacher. He was named the New Providence Teacher of the Year in 2017.
He earned his Ed.S. in Accountability and Instructional Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University, M.A. in Teaching from Austin Peay State University, and B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He completed the CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy, and has earned certifications in Restorative Practices and the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI).
West Creek Middle School Assistant Principal
Dale Land has been selected to serve as an assistant principal at West Creek Middle School.
Land has been the assistant principal at Liberty Elementary School since 2019. He began his career with CMCSS in 2012, and has served as an academic coach, science teacher at Kenwood Middle, and classroom teacher at Ringgold Elementary. Before coming to CMCSS, Land had a 20-year career in the United States Army as a soldier, Assistant Operations and Training Manager, and Senior Educator and Administrator.
He earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Ed.S. in Administrative Leadership from Carson-Newman University, M.A. in Teaching from Austin Peay State University, and B.S. in Criminal Justice from Troy University. Land completed the McREL Balanced Leadership Training for Administrators, CMCSS Aspiring Administrators Academy, and the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
