Fayette County School Board members have announced five candidates vying for the job to lead the state’s second largest school district. Lexington citizens will have the opportunity virtually and in-person to learn more about the educators.
Board Chair Tyler Murphy says members have a busy agenda over the next week. “Our Board team will be reviewing candidate references, noting candidate interactions with our community, preparing for in-person interviews next week, and reviewing your feedback,” said Murphy.
All the candidates are from outside Kentucky including Las Vegas, Columbus, Dallas, San Antonio, and Grand Island Nebraska. They are Christopher Bernier, Melvin Brown, Angela Dominguez, Tawana Grover, and Demetrus Liggins.
Virtual community forums are scheduled Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:45 pm and Thursday from 4:30 to 8:00 pm. An in-person meet and greet is also planned on June second at Frederick Douglas High School. Former Superintendent Manny Caulk died suddenly last December. Marlene Helm has been serving as acting schools superintendent. A board decision is expected in June.
The following information comes from the news release of the Fayette County School System:
Dr. Christopher Bernier serves as the chief of staff for the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas, Nevada. As an executive cabinet member in the 5th largest school district in the U.S. since 2019, Dr. Bernier drives and executes the student-centered vision for over 310,000 students and 42,000 employees. Dr. Bernier serves as chair of the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Committee for Goals and Objectives. He has achieved an over 10 percent increase in graduation rates, revitalized magnet programs, and created unique partnerships for college and career pathways for students. Previously, he oversaw 200,000 students as the associate superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida. His education career began in 1987 in Orange County—the 9th largest district in the nation—and included roles as a high school and middle school principal, assistant principal, dean of students, history teacher, athletic director, and coach. Dr. Bernier earned his undergraduate degree in history and education from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern and his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida.
Since 2017, Dr. Melvin Brown has served as the superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools, a district with 7,300 students in the metropolitan area of Columbus, Ohio. Prior to this role, he was associate superintendent at Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia, a district of 89,000 students and a county population of 400,000. While at Reynoldsburg, Dr. Brown worked diligently to address district inequities in high school programming, including Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus enrollment. In his 22 years of school administrative experience, he has served as a deputy superintendent and director of human resources in Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, regional vice president for an education company, and has several years of service as an elementary and high school principal, a coach, a supervisor of multicultural education, and a teacher. Dr. Brown holds a Doctor of Education in educational studies and educational administration from The Ohio State University, a Master of Arts in educational administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Ms. Dominguez serves as the assistant superintendent of academic services in Edgewood Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, a large, urban district of about 10,000 students. Previously, she served as the district’s chief of secondary schools and executive director of school leadership. Ms. Dominguez is making great strides in providing equitable opportunities for scholars of Edgewood, a high-poverty district. Accomplishments across her 26-year career include collaboration with external partners (e.g., Texas A&M, Texas Council for International Studies, and others) to create unique learning opportunities for Edgewood students, improved academic accountability from a D grade to a C, selection as a Principal of the Year semi-finalist by a Texas-based corporation, and recognition as the Bilingual Administrator of the Year by a local chapter of bilingual educators. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in history from Dartmouth College and her Master of Science in educational administration from Texas A & M University - Kingsville. She is currently in the Cooperative Superintendency Program at The University of Texas at Austin where she is in the research phase of her dissertation on how to retain high quality principals in high-poverty, urban schools.
Dr. Tawana Grover is superintendent of Grand Island Public Schools in Grand Island, Nebraska, a district of over 10,000 students. Prior to becoming a superintendent in 2016, she served leadership roles in DeSoto Independent Schools—a suburban district of Dallas, Texas with 10,000 students—as chief human resource officer, executive director of federal programs, director of special programs, and principal. Dr. Grover championed equity work within the Grand Island Public School district to accelerate her mission of creating a level playing field for every student and launched the district’s inaugural strategic plan. Her work led to the development of a district Equity Value Statement, a resolution on eliminating racism that was adopted by the Board of Education, and the formation of a district equity framework. She increased student achievement in 75 percent of “Needs Improvement” schools and increased the number of students scoring 20 or above on the ACT by 5.4 percent within two years. Dr. Grover earned a Ph.D. in special education from University of North Texas; an Ed.S. in educational leadership from Doane University; an Ed.S. in elementary/educational leadership from Auburn University Montgomery; and a M.S. and B.S. in elementary education, both from Auburn University Montgomery.
Dr. Demetrus Liggins has served since 2016 as superintendent of schools in Greenville Independent School District, an urban district of 5,000 students outside of Dallas, Texas. Previously, Dr. Liggins has been a bilingual/Spanish classroom teacher; an assistant principal; an elementary, middle, and high school principal; and an area superintendent of schools, in districts with as many as 35,000 students. In his current role, Dr. Liggins has increased student outcomes at all levels, including minority and economically-disadvantaged students’ performance, led the creation of a 5-year strategic plan and graduate profile, and transitioned several traditional schools to schools of choice, which helped improve equity across the district. He was named an Inspiring Leader by the Texas Association of School Administrators and was among the first to complete the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent Certification. He earned the Distinguished Leadership Award from Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas. Dr. Liggins received his bachelor’s in education and master’s degree in English from California State University, Fresno and a Master of Education and superintendent certification from Stephen F. Austin State University. He received his Ph.D. in K-16 educational leadership and policy from University of Texas-Arlington.
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