Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, December 20, 2019

Newsmakers: Schools leadership takes on new challenges




Justin Robertson, chief of schools in Hamilton County, will move to chief of operations. Robertson has worked as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and as chief of schools since 2016.

He will now serve in the support roles of transportation, school nutrition, maintenance, facilities, student discipline, technology and other non-academic services.

Robertson takes over for Kenneth Bradshaw, who left the position this year to become superintendent of Richmond County Schools in Augusta, Georgia.

Before being named chief of schools in 2016, Robertson served as a principal at Red Bank High School, Brown Middle School and Lookout Valley Elementary in Hamilton County.

Robertson holds degrees from Union University and Lipscomb University.

Neelie Parker is the new chief of schools. Parker has been a teacher, school administrator and district level administrator in Hamilton County. She helped to start the learning community concept in the district and has served as the first North River Learning Community executive director.

Parker has served as director of elementary schools since 2015. She was principal at Big Ridge Elementary for six years and spent seven years as principal of East Lake Elementary.

Parker also served as assistant principal at Calvin Donaldson Elementary and taught at East Brainerd Elementary in Hamilton County Schools.

She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Boys & Girls Club names chief development officer

Donyel Johnson is the new chief development officer of Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga. Johnson will guide the organization’s fundraising, communications and community outreach efforts. She previously served as vice president of development at the Public Education Foundation.

Johnson earned a degree in communications and a master’ degree in public administration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Johnson serves on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the UTC Public Service Advisory Board and Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association. She is a 2017 Leadership Chattanooga Graduate.

Acumen managing partner joins UTC advisory board

Acumen Wealth Advisors Managing Partner Reese Veltenaar has joined the advisory board for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s College of Business Student-Managed Investment Learning Experience Fund.

The SMILE Fund provides UTC students with the opportunity to manage the stock portfolio of the University of Chattanooga Foundation. Currently, the SMILE Fund has grown to over $600,000.