Some people measure success by titles.
I measure it by the testimonies behind every turnaround, every relationship, and every student who beat the odds.
My journey didn’t begin with a fancy title or a seat at the table.
It began in small-town Mississippi — where faith was strong, money was tight, and hard work was a family tradition.
My parents didn’t finish high school, but they passed down something better:
the values of integrity, perseverance, and purpose.
And thanks to my grandmother’s unwavering prayers and example, I knew early on that my life would serve a higher calling.
🏈 From the Field to the Front of the Class
I began my career in education as a classroom teacher and football coach, pouring myself into both academics and athletics across districts like:
- Neshoba
- Philadelphia
- Jackson Public Schools
- Vicksburg Warren
- Lawrence County
- Perry County
- Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District
I didn’t just coach football — I coached hearts and minds.
My classroom was a launchpad where struggling students learned to believe in themselves,and the field was where grit met growth.
As I worked through schools entrenched in academic challenges,
I became immersed in school improvement models across Mississippi — studying, refining, and executing strategies that aligned classroom practice with real student achievement.
🚀 From Teacher to Trailblazer
I moved into district-level leadership through a Special Projects role,
focused on streamlining:
- Innovation design
- Academy implementation
- Accreditation overhauls
- Strategic systems
That role shaped my ability to scale ideas with fidelity and measure impact — not just activity. School Turnaround projects include, Lawrence County, Vicksburg Warren, and Newton.
I then served as Director of Schools for Students with Disabilities,
where I led programming focused on:
- IEPs and student learning modalities
- Inclusive instructional models
- Accreditation preparation and access equity
It wasn’t just paperwork — it was purpose.
Every child, regardless of ability, deserved a plan that matched their potential.
🏆 Perry Central High School: A Turnaround Story
After years of system-level leadership, I stepped into one of the most defining roles of my career:
Principal of Perry Central High School.
When I arrived, the school was rated six points from a D.
By the time I transitioned out, three years later, we had projected an A — the first in school history. Time will tell.
But it wasn’t just about letter grades.
It was about building belief, raising expectations, and proving that rural doesn’t mean less.
Key accomplishments included:
- Increasing graduation rates by over 18%
- Dramatically improving ACT, WorkKeys, and state assessment growth
- Redesigning CTE pathways, Tier 1 instruction, and intervention systems
- Establishing a schoolwide culture grounded in excellence and equity
Here is where Passion Met Purpose with the authorship of my first book: Leading Where Other’s Don’t Look! A Reflective Leadership Journey that moves from Hearings to Celebrations.
🎓 A Scholar of the Work
I have always believed that leadership without learning becomes stale.
I earned:
- Three degrees from Mississippi State University
(B.S. in Secondary Education, M.A.T., and Ed.S. in Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment) - Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University
- Completed graduate-level research with:
- William Carey University
- Belhaven University
- American College of Education
Currently, I am completing my Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at Mississippi State, focusing my dissertation on policy and practice convergence in rural school transformation.
📊 Accountability, Curriculum, and Culture Shifts
Before stepping into my current role, I led district-wide initiatives in:
- Implementing Mississippi’s revised accountability model
- Facilitating curriculum transitions and vertical alignment
- Leading instructional coaching and leadership development
- Designing systems rooted in data-driven equity and access
These weren’t just plans — they were pathways to transformation.
🤝 The Birth of the Think Tank
School Leaders’ Think Tank wasn’t born from convenience.
It was born from conviction.
A cohort of committed school leaders encouraged me to create something bold:
A place where collaboration, research, and reflection would thrive.
Where leaders could sharpen each other and share tools.
Where the motto Better Together wasn’t a catchphrase — it was a call to action.
The Think Tank now connects leaders, accelerates innovation, and provides open access to tools, models, and frameworks that work — in real schools, with real students, and real impact.
🏫 Now at Partnership
Today, I serve as the Lead Principal of Partnership Middle School at Mississippi State University, the only school in the country jointly operated by a major research university and a public school district.
At Partnership:
- Theory meets practice
- Teachers become researchers
- Students are the heartbeat of every decision
We don’t just teach.
We reflect, study, innovate, and lead.
We are building something bigger than a school.
We’re building a movement.
👨👧 The Title I’m Most Proud Of
Above all else, I am Dad.
My daughter, Makenlee Grace, is currently a senior at Union High School.
She plans to attend Mississippi State University in Fall 2026 as a Kinesiology major.
She is my motivation, my joy, and my why.
When I look at her, I’m reminded that every student I serve is someone else’s Makenlee — and that’s the weight and beauty of this calling.
🙌 Final Thought
I call myself The Luckiest Principal, not because life has been easy —
but because I’ve been entrusted with schools, stories, and futures.
You don’t need privilege to lead with power.
You don’t need permission to transform lives.
You just need a calling — and the courage to answer it.
And I answered it.
Still do.
Random Photos Will Populate Weekly
School Leaders' Think Tank 