Richard Smith has been named principal at Edison Middle School. Smith formerly was the principal at Deady Middle School, where he dedicated the last four years in a leadership role as assistant principal and then principal. Under his leadership, Deady Middle School has moved from an Improvement Required campus to a campus that has Met Standard and received multiple distinctions from the state. Smith graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Math and Spanish Education and then went on to earn a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision at the University of Houston. Smith is a proud HISD graduate of Sharpstown High School.
Category Archives: Staff updates
Jason Davila named new principal of Pugh Elementary
Jason Davila has been appointed principal of Pugh Elementary School. Davila has been with HISD since 2014, most recently as assistant principal at McReynolds Middle School. Davila was an elementary teacher in Fort Bend ISD and the charter school system before completing a year-long principal internship at Texas Serenity Academy. Davila has a bachelor’s degree in management studies from University of Houston and a master’s degree in educational administration from Lamar University. Davila recently completed the HISD Principal Candidate Development Opportunity.
Jane Ocanas named new principal of Marshall Elementary
Jane Ocanas has been named principal of Marshall Elementary School after serving as principal of Grissom Elementary for four years. Under her leadership, Grissom became a “Met Standard” campus, earning at least one distinction every year. Ocanas began her career in education as a bilingual teacher with HISD in 2004 and has also served as an instructional coordinator and assistant principal. A native Houstonian and a graduate of Sam Houston High School, Ocanas has a bachelor’s degree in general business from University of Houston-Downtown and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar University.
Melba Heredia Johnson named new principal of Sherman Elementary
Melba Heredia Johnson has been selected as the new principal of Sherman Elementary School. Heredia Johnson has served HISD for 17 years as a bilingual teacher and professional development specialist in early childhood education. Since 2013 she has worked at Sherman as assistant principal, teacher specialist, and teacher development specialist. In addition, Heredia Johnson has 30 years of experience as a flamenco and folkloric dancer with the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Houston Baptist University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership from University of St. Thomas.
Tabitha Dudley named new principal of Fondren Elementary
Tabitha Dudley has been appointed as the new principal of Fondren Elementary School. Dudley has been an educator for 10 years, serving in various roles from teacher to assistant principal. She began her career as a fourth- grade teacher at Dunbar Intermediate in Texarkana and has served HISD as a teacher and teacher development specialist. Since 2015, she has been the assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School. Dudley earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Arkansas and her master’s degree in education from University of Texas at Austin.
Maria Nevarez-Solis named new principal of Farias Early Childhood Center
Maria Nevarez-Solis has been named principal of Farias Early Childhood Center. Nevarez-Solis has been an educator for 29 years, serving in various roles, from paraprofessional to program director. She began her career in HISD as a teacher at Tijerina Elementary and served as an instructional coordinator in the East Area before working as an instructional specialist at Farias ECC from 2005 until 2013. Since then, she has worked for Spring ISD as a training manager, curriculum specialist, and director of Early Childhood Programs. Nevarez-Solis earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary bilingual education from Findlay College in Ohio and her master’s degree in educational leadership from University of St. Thomas.
Lee Mashburn named new principal of Sinclair Elementary School
Lee Mashburn has been selected as the new principal of Sinclair Elementary School. Mashburn served HISD for 25 years as a teacher of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth–graders, most recently at Sinclair Elementary. He also served as magnet coordinator for Sinclair and most recently assistant principal at Scarborough High School. Mr. Mashburn earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Dallas, master’s in counseling from Prairie View A&M, and master’s in educational leadership from University of St. Thomas.
Danitra Arredondo named new principal of Petersen Elementary School
Danitra Arredondo has been selected as the new principal for Petersen Elementary School, where she has served as assistant principal since 2015. Arredondo has been an educator for 13 years and has served in various roles, from teacher to assistant principal. She began her career at Looscan Elementary School as a fourth-grade teacher and served as a leadership fellow and assistant principal at both Yes Prep and HISD. Arredondo earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish from DePauw University and her Master’s of Education at University of Maryland.
Darryl Henson named new principal of North Forest High School
Dr. Darryl Henson has been selected as the new principal for North Forest High School. Dr. Henson returns to Houston from Ysleta ISD, where he has been serving as the principal of Parkland High School for the last two years. Under his leadership, Parkland earned all seven academic distinctions from the Texas Education Agency. Dr. Henson began his career in education as an elementary teacher in Austin before joining HISD in 2007 as a special education teacher at Wisdom High School. He also held other administrative roles as assistant principal at Heights High School and as an elementary and middle school principal in El Paso. Dr. Henson earned his bachelor of science degree in elementary education at the University of Texas in Austin, master’s degree in education from the University of Texas, Arlington, and a doctor of education from the University of Houston.
Brishaun Sutton named new principal of Bell Elementary School
Brishaun Sutton has been selected as the new principal for Kate Bell Elementary School. Sutton has been an educator for 20 years and has served in various roles, from teacher to assistant principal. She began her career at Turner Elementary as a second-grade teacher and served as an instructional specialist and teacher development specialist. Since 2012, she has been the assistant principal of Bell Elementary School. Sutton earned her bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from University of Houston Downtown and her master’s of Education at University of St. Thomas.