MSCS Board is interviewing 5 superintendent finalists today. These are the candidates.

In August, Memphis-Shelby County Schools officially relaunched its superintendent search. In November, the district revealed that the firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates was conducting interviews with 21 strong contenders from seven states.

And Friday morning, five finalists were presented by HYA head Max McGee to the MSCS board members, who were expected to spend the day publicly interviewing each one for an hour in the Teaching and Learning Academy, located at 2485 Union Ave. The five finalists are:

Yolonda Brown

Chief academic officer, Atlanta Public Schools

Yolonda Brown worked her way up through the Atlanta school system, starting as a science and social studies teacher, then becoming a principal, an associate superintendent of schools, before landing her current position. She has a record of significantly improving academic outcomes, as well as placing a priority on community and collaboration. She also played a major role in having students recover academically after COVID-19 and her former boss told HYA that she "has a remarkable ability to pull parents, principals, and staff together." A community advocate in Atlanta praised her, telling HYA that if Brown says, "let’s go somewhere, I don’t even ask where I just grab my boots and follow her."

Cheryl Proctor

Deputy superintendent of instruction and school committees, Portland Public Schools

Cheryl Proctor has worked in three large, urban school districts. She began with Broward County Schools in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area, then moved to the School District of Philadelphia, where she reached the role of assistant superintendent. She's known for being able to effectively serve in diverse environments, and in her current post in Portland, she has helped significantly improve academic results. She's also considered a strong communicator and has a close relationship with the board in Portland. Portland's school board chair told HYA that she has a "bright future as a superintendent, well beyond her credentials," and that "if we had to pick another superintendent, she would be it."

Marie Feagins

Chief of leadership and high schools, Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Marie Feagins previously applied for the MSCS superintendent post before the search was paused, but was not one of the initial three finalists. She applied again when the search was relaunched, and McGee told the board that "she’s worked exceptionally hard to prepare for this position," and has "the fire in her belly to succeed." She has helped boost achievement rates, attendance rates, and graduation rates in Detroit high schools, and she's forged connections with city and state political leaders in Detroit. She also helped spearhead the school district's response to the pandemic.

Carlton Jenkins

Former superintendent of Madison Metropolitan School District

Carlton Jenkins was one of the three finalists when MSCS first looked for a superintendent in the spring. When the district paused and relaunched the search, he applied again and told HYA he was only interested in the superintendent job in Memphis. He did not apply for any other school leadership posts while the search was on hold. He is known for improving academic outcomes and being a spokesperson for the community, and in the Madison district, he helped close achievement gaps. He also is known for emphasizing collaboration, with his former school board chair referring to him as the "GOAT of collaborators."

Angela Whitelaw

Deputy superintendent of academics and school support, MSCS

Angela Whitelaw is the only finalist who currently works for MSCS, and she, like Jenkins, was an applicant when the district first searched for superintendents. Though she wasn't one of the initial finalists at that time, she became one after another top candidate, Brenda Cassellius ― the former superintendent of Boston Public Schools ― withdrew from consideration. Memphis is her home, and she wants to stay in the district she's worked in for more than three decades. She's also successfully spearheaded an array of initiatives and works extremely hard. "She has the talent to serve in districts around the country, she said, I’m committed to Memphis," McGee told the board.

What's expected

According to the interview schedule, finalists are slated to be interviewed for an hour. The board members are then expected to have 10 minutes to rate them, before the transition to the next candidate.

They're using a rubric to evaluate the candidates, and the scores will be used to narrow the field to three finalists. Community members attending the interviews today are also expected to receive copies of the rubric, and they’ll be able to provide their own scores, which will be collected and reviewed. Then, on Tuesday, the board members will be presented with the average scores they gave to each candidate, and the average scores community members gave. They’ll use these scores to narrow the field down from five to three.

After the top three candidates are chosen on Tuesday, the board will break for the holidays, then resume the selection process. The goal is for a superintendent to be announced in January or February and begin on or before July 1 – which would conclude a long, fraught selection process that began after previous superintendent Joris Ray resigned amid controversy in August 2022.

More: With federal funding drying up, MSCS is looking to save hundreds of jobs. Here's how

HYA initially presented three finalists to the board in April: Cassellius, Jenkins, and interim MSCS superintendent Toni Williams, who had initially said she wasn’t interested in the permanent position, only to change course and apply. But after the finalists were unveiled to them, board members immediately raised questions about how they were evaluated and why the board was not able to see a wider pool of candidates.

And controversy arose over the consideration of Williams, who withdrew her name from consideration in June, after community members expressed concern that the requirements for the superintendent candidates had been adjusted to fit her resume. The board had originally asked for those in the running to have a background in education, but later, it made the requirements more vague. Williams joined MSCS as CFO in 2019 and doesn't have classroom experience.

Williams, however, has denied that any manipulative tactics had been deployed in her favor during the candidate search, asserting that the revised qualifications would give the board more flexibility and the chance to choose a superintendent from a wider range of applicants.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent finalists named