Some teachers and students at Tulsa Public Schools will have new leadership when school starts on August 22. Last night, the Board of Education approved principal recommendations for seven schools:
· Audrey Doctor, Thoreau Demonstration Academy;
· Ramona Gestland, Skelly Elementary;
· Jason Gilley, Central Junior High and High School;
· Sheila Riley, Clinton Middle School;
· Courtney Selking, Eugene Field Elementary;
· Karesha Solomon, Hawthorne Elementary;
· Dixie Speer, Edison Preparatory School; and
· Kristy Tatum, Marshall Elementary.
Audrey Doctor brings great experience and a keen understanding of the Thoreau community after serving as assistant principal since 1997. She is a graduate of the University of Texas, Texas Wesleyan University and Oral Roberts University. Audrey is thrilled to be able to continue to work with the Thoreau community to provide a world-class educational experience for all of our students.
Ramona Gestland’s experience includes being a teacher at Penn and Key elementary schools, and a staff development teacher and assistant principal at Celia Clinton and Skelly Upper Elementary. Her strong instructional experience and deep commitment to equity have helped her develop into the school leader she is today. She is a graduate of Concordia Teachers College and Northeastern State University.
Jason Gilley is a graduate of Langston University and the University of Oklahoma. He has served as music director at KIPP Tulsa and McLain High School, and most recently served as assistant principal at Central High School. He is passionate about promoting a culture of high achievement and support for diverse students and is excited to build upon the successes at Central.
Dr. Sheila Riley’s administrative experience has been shaped by four years of successful leadership as the principal at Eugene Field. Prior to serving in that role, she worked in both middle school and high school settings. She is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University and is looking forward to bringing her skills and experience to support the team at Clinton.
Courtney Selking has been at Tulsa Public Schools for the last seven years. The first five included teaching assignments at Owen and Mark Twain elementary schools, and the last two years she has served as the assistant principal at Kerr Elementary. She is a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Oklahoma and has completed the Relay Principal Academy fellowship. She is passionate about ensuring every child has access to an excellent education and is looking forward to working with the amazing team and community at Eugene Field.
Karesha Solomon has been selected as the principal for Hawthorne Elementary. Karesha is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and Arkansas State University and is participating in this year’s cohort of the Relay Principal Academy. She began her career at TPS as a third grade teacher at Hawthorne and is currently the assistant principal. Karesha’s instructional leadership is evident by the work she has co-led at Hawthorne and she is excited to be able to support the teachers with whom she has worked so closely over the past few years.
Dixie Speer is a graduate of Northeastern State University and has served as a teacher, instructional facilitator, assistant principal, and principal at Tulsa Public Schools throughout her career. In her most recent assignment as principal of Clinton Middle School, she leveraged community partnerships like City Year and Communities in Schools to provide an excellent educational experience to her students.
Kristy Tatum is a graduate of Mid-America Nazarene College in Olathe, Kan., and Oral Roberts University. She has 10 years of teaching experience in Hawaii, Kansas City and Tulsa. Kristy entered school administration as an administrative intern at Jackson Elementary, where she then served as principal for two years before moving first to Skelly Primary, and then Skelly Upper Elementary as principal for five years.