Jean Luna-Vedder voted new director of schools at Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
After hours of interviews and input from staff, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has chosen a new director of schools.
Jean Luna-Vedder, a former CMCSS employee from 2007-2019, was approved by the board in a 6-0 vote, with Jimmie Garland, district 5 board member abstaining from the vote.
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Although Luna-Vedder was approved as next director of schools, the district and she will have to finalize a contract.
"It feels like coming home," Luna-Vedder told The Leaf-Chronicle Tuesday. "I'm excited about the opportunity to be able to go back in the district and working with a really great team, and you know, make strides forward for the district.
Luna-Vedder, who currently serves chief of student readiness for the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville, received four of the seven votes from the board.
Inside and beyond the interviews: Candidates make case for Clarksville Director of Schools job
Board members Margaret Pace, Kent Griffy, Charlie Patterson and Josh Baggett each voted for Luna-Vedder.
Garland nominated current interim director of schools Angela Huff to take over permanent duties. During the voting process, Garland was joined by Carol Berry of district 1.
"They were very technical, very competent and capable," Garland said of all the candidates.
Herbert Nelson was the loan board member to nominate Sean Impeartrice, who currently serves as chief academic officer for CMCSS.
When a vote to unanimously accept Luna-Vedder as director of school, all but Garland voted to accept the candidate for the position.
Though she works in Nashville, Luna-Vedder is no stranger to Clarksville. She currently lives in Clarksville and began working in the district in 2007 as an elementary teacher at Sango Elementary.
"The department of education has definitely taught me a lot about what it looks like at a district level," Luna-Vedder said. "And having that experience to work with 147 districts and I work closely with superintendents and have even seen through the legislative lens."
She has a doctorate in education from Lipscomb University in Nashville and has overseen several large-scale initiatives that have impacted CMCSS, including oversight on the district's teacher apprenticeship program and managing state grant funding.
Luna-Vedder said she believed her knowledge working with K-12 and her work with the department of education made her stand out as a candidate.
During her interview May 5, Luna-Vedder, was asked by school employees what she would do to recruit and retain a more diverse pool of teaching candidates.
"We have pipelines and potentials for our students... Are we having conversations potentially teaching. Are we exposing those students and having those conversations about potentially teaching," Luna-Vedder said.
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Jean Luna-Vedder voted new director of schools: Clarksville-Montgomery
