Administrative Appointments Announced in October

October 29, 2021

The following administrative appointments have been announced in October.

Melissa Johnson

Carmel Elementary School Principal

Melissa Johnson has been selected as the principal of Carmel Elementary School.

Johnson has served as the principal of Liberty Elementary School since 2020, previously serving for almost a decade as an assistant principal at Liberty and Barkers Mill elementary schools. She began her career with CMCSS in 1997 as a teacher at Northeast and Sango elementary schools.

Johnson has over five years of experience as a STEM administrator. She has actively engaged in leadership development throughout her career with local, regional, and state programs. She completed the CMCSS Leadership I & II academies, Aspiring Leaders Program, and McREL Balanced Leadership training. Among her many accomplishments, Johnson was honored as a Distinguished Classroom Teacher in 2004 and as a Green Apple award recipient in 2001.

Johnson received her M.A. in Education Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and graduated with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Austin Peay State University.

Liberty Elementary School Principal

Donna Gagliardi has been selected as the principal of Liberty Elementary School.

Gagliardi has been an assistant principal at Liberty Elementary School, previously serving as an assistant principal at Minglewood and Ringgold elementary schools. Before entering school leadership, she was an Academic Coach at Ringgold and had over 20 years of teaching experience in Tennessee and Illinois. She 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.