Category Archives: Staff updates

Kelli McDonald named new principal of Briargrove Elementary School

Kelli McDonald is the new principal for Briargrove Elementary School. McDonald currently serves as a Dean of Instruction and the Lead Academic Dean for Lamar High School. During her tenure at Lamar, she advised and supported students and parents throughout IB’s Middle Years Program, Career Related Program, and Diploma Program. She began her educational career in elementary school as a classroom teacher in grades 1, 4, and 5, team lead, and curriculum specialist. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas State University and her juris doctorate from South Texas College of Law. 

Cedric Starks named new principal of Frost Elementary School

Cedric Starks has been selected as the new principal of Frost Elementary School. He has been an educator with HISD for 13 years and most recently served as Dean of Instruction at South Early College High School. There he supported the Special Education team, English and Social Studies Department, and Title I. Being a product of HISD, he attended Blackshear Elementary, James D. Ryan Middle School, and Jack Yates High School. His experience ranges from being an English teacher, Instructional Coordinator, Title I Coordinator, and SPED and LPAC Administrator. He holds a bachelor’s in English and Psychology, master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in Government and Policy, master’s in Education Administration, and a master’s in Technology Education. 

Christina Aguirre-Oliva named new principal of Ketelsen ES

Christina Aguirre-Oliva is the new principal of Ketelsen Elementary School. She has been in public education for 24 years, all of which have been with HISD. Aguirre-Oliva began her career in education as a third grade ESL teacher at Wainwright Elementary School. She also worked as an assistant principal at Scarborough High School and the Mandarin Immersion Magnet School. Most recently, Aguirre-Oliva served as the principal of Wainwright Elementary School. An HISD alumni, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Houston and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas in Library Science.

Cameshia Emerson named new principal of Lockhart Elementary

Cameshia Emerson has been selected as the new principal of Lockhart Elementary School. Emerson has 18 years of experience in the field of education. She started her career as a third-grade teacher in Tennessee and has also served as an instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. Currently, she is an administrator at Hartsfield Elementary School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Tennessee at Martin. She also obtained an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision from Freed-Hardeman University.

Samantha Woods named new principal of Valley West Elementary School

Samantha Woods is the new principal of Valley West Elementary School. Woods transitioned from Alief ISD to HISD in 2015 and has served as a science lab teacher, teacher specialist, and assistant principal. During her tenure at Valley West, she has focused on building strong academic programs and accountability systems for the diverse population she serves. She earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Phoenix, Houston Campus, and her master’s degree from Lamar University, Beaumont.

Jerri Nixon named new principal of Westbury High School

Jerri Nixon has been selected as the new principal of Westbury High School. Nixon began her career at Hogg Middle School as a Language Arts teacher. She then served as the assistant principal at Black Middle School and Bellaire High School before becoming the principal of Herod Elementary. She has also supported HISD in the Human Resources Department. Most recently, Nixon served as an Assistant Principal at Westbury High School for the last 5 years. She earned her educational degree from Texas A&M University and obtained a master’s degree in educational leadership from University of Houston and in construction management from Texas A&M University. 

HISD names Houston law enforcement veteran as new police chief

The Houston Independent School District has named Pedro Lopez Jr., a Houston Police Department assistant chief with 32 years of experience, as the new chief of the HISD Police Department.

Lopez has spent 29 of his 32 years in law enforcement with HPD, moving up the ranks from patrol officer to his current position as the assistant chief for Patrol Region 1. He has also served with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and Texas Department of Corrections.

“We are fortunate to have a law enforcement veteran with the experience, training and expertise of Chief Lopez join our district and lead our police department of more than 200 officers,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “We know he will do a great job protecting our students, staff and campuses as we work to educate, train and support our global scholars.”

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HISD names interim chief financial officer

Glenn Reed, a 20-year veteran with the Houston Independent School District’s Budgeting & Financial Planning Office, has been named interim chief financial officer for the Houston Independent School District.

Reed assumes his new role immediately, reporting to Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

“Mr. Reed’s institutional knowledge of the district and longstanding reputation as a reliable resource on the district’s financial matters makes him an ideal candidate to fill this role,” said HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “I have full confidence that he will continue the standard of excellence that exists in our finance department.”

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HISD north area superintendent named interim chief academic officer

Yolanda Rodríguez

Yolanda Rodríguez, HISD’s north area superintendent, has been named interim chief academic officer of the Houston Independent School District.

Rodríguez assumes her new role immediately, reporting to Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

“Ms. Rodríguez has 25 years of experience with Team HISD and has a long history of turning around underperforming schools right here in our district,” Lathan said. “I am proud to have her at the helm guiding academics and instruction in HISD, and I know our schools will see continued success under her leadership.”

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Deshonta Everett named new principal of Anderson Elementary School

Deshonta Everett has been selected as the new principal of Anderson Elementary School. With 12 years of experience in education, Everett previously served as an assistant principal at Welch Middle School for two years. Before joining HISD, he started his career as a middle school English teacher in Dallas ISD and served as an instructional coach, secondary ESL specialist and academic principal in the Crowley and Irving Independent School Districts. Everett holds a bachelor’s in English from Jackson State University, a master’s in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University, another master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas.