Boards choose new leaders, interims fill inKentucky School Advocate
August 2020
Jenkins IndependentThe Jenkins Independent board selected Damian Johnson, the district’s technology coordinator, as its superintendent. Johnson has worked for the district for 18 years. He’s also an alumni.
Johnson was the valedictorian of the Jenkins Independent class of 1993, according to the Mountain Top News.
“I’m humbled. Jenkins Independent has been a big part of my life and I’m excited and humbled to have the opportunity to serve,” Johnson told the news outlet.
Johnson said he doesn’t see the job as leader of the nearly 425-student district as a steppingstone.
“This district has done a lot for me and my family and I wanted the opportunity to give back,” he said.
Johnson noted that the small district faces challenges, including a lack of resources, and that he plans to focus on the climate and culture of the district’s two schools while supporting the district’s teachers.
“I plan on demanding excellency and not accepting excuses,” he said. “There are good things going on here, there are great things going on that I don’t think we’ve done a good job of publicizing.”
Johnson succeeds Mike Genton, who was not offered a new contract.
Pikeville IndependentThe Pikeville Independent board appointed David Trimble as superintendent. Trimble had been the director of pupil personnel for Russell Independent Schools for the past seven years.
School administration runs in Trimble’s family, his father was superintendent of Johnson County Schools.
Board chairman Joe Ray Thornbury told the Appalachian News-Express that Trimble has 16 years of education experience.
“The board was looking for a leader who could carry our district onward and upward, while respecting the tradition of excellence that has been built here in Pikeville,” Thornbury said.
In his time at Russell Independent, Trimble also served as director of teacher and leader effectiveness and principal of the Russell Area Technology Center. Trimble has also served as director of student services, high school assistant principal and athletic director, and a social studies teacher at Boyd County Schools.
Trimble told the paper that he was looking forward to leading the district and working with the board.
“The board has been so supportive,” he said. “I’ve had tremendous conversations with them. They love the district, they love education and I can’t do my job without a board of education that will support me in doing that and, most importantly, has the same feelings toward education as me.”
Trimble replaces Jerry Green who retired.
Shelby CountySally Sugg, who oversaw the closure of West Point Independent as interim superintendent, is now the superintendent of Shelby County Schools. The board selected Sugg out of 24 candidates identified in a nationwide search.
Sugg, who previously served as assistant superintendent of Shelby County from 2007 to 2008, has also served as an elementary and high school principal and as a middle and high school teacher. She has worked in Henderson County, Paducah Independent and at the Kentucky Department of Education.
“I am excited to come back to Shelby County, reignite relationships and work again with an innovative staff,” she said.
Sugg also served a four-year term as a board member in Henderson County.
Shelby County board member Andrew Cline said Sugg brings a depth of knowledge and experience to the district.
“I truly believe Dr. Sugg is the right person, at the right time for our school district,” he said. “With an enormous amount of uncertainty due to ongoing impacts of Covid-19, Dr. Sugg’s decades of experience will help see us through the challenges we anticipate to face.”
Sugg received her bachelor’s degree from Murray State University, a master’s degree in secondary education and a Rank I from Western Kentucky University, and superintendent endorsement and doctorate from Eastern Kentucky University.
Sugg succeeds James Neihof, who retired.
Henderson CountyBob Lawson, who previously spent seven years as a teacher, coach and administrator at Henderson County Schools, has been named the district's next superintendent. Lawson will assume the role Dec. 1, after Superintendent Marganna Stanley retires. Until then, he will serve as the transitional district director.
Lawson has been the principal of Whitley County High School since 2015 and previously served as principal and assistant principal in Henderson County.
“I am humbled to be named superintendent of Henderson County Schools, and to succeed Mrs. Stanley is simply an honor,” he said. “I would like to extend a special thank you to the members of the board for selecting me and a thank you to the screening committee for their part in the process.”
Board chairwoman Lisa Baird said Lawson will bring leadership, innovative programs and a love for Henderson to the district.
“Hiring the right superintendent is always about hiring the best leader for Henderson County. Bob is that leader,” said Baird, who is not seeking re-election after 12 years on the board. “I am extremely confident that I am leaving with a great person in charge. Bob will carry on the initiative we as a board with Mrs. Stanley have begun and will add his positive ideas to continue to make Henderson County Schools a top-notch district in Kentucky and the U.S.”
Elizabethtown IndependentThe Elizabethtown Independent board unanimously selected Kelli Bush, the district’s assistant superintendent for student learning, as superintendent.
“Mrs. Bush brings over 20 years of experience to the position,” the board said in a statement. “She has strong leadership skills that have been developed from her tenure with Elizabethtown Independent Schools.”
Before becoming assistant superintendent in 2012, Bush served as principal at Morningside Elementary School where she began working in 1999.
“What I really look forward to in this role is getting out in the schools and getting in the classrooms and talking with the kids,” she told the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise. “I enjoy that as much as anything.”
Bush told the paper that her goals in leading the district include improving graduation rates, creating additional pathways for trade careers, growing the district’s art program and building upon the district’s technology, as well as ensuring safety for students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I know it’s going to be a huge challenge, but I also know that with those type of challenges comes real fulfillment and reward,” she said.
Bush replaces Jon Ballard who retired.
Garrard CountyThe Garrard County Board of Education in April chose former Garrard County High School Principal Kevin Stull as the district’s superintendent. The vote was unanimous for Stull, a who spent more than a decade as the high school’s principal. For the past seven years, Stull has worked at the Kentucky Department of Education in Frankfort, all the while continuing to live in Garrard County.
At KDE, Stull worked on the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System while serving in the Office of Teaching and Learning. He was most recently the director of state schools, providing support to the Kentucky School for the Deaf and the Kentucky School for the Blind.
Stull replaces Sonny Fentress who had been serving as interim superintendent.
New vacancies