Taulton joins district leadership fellows

Special to the News-Times

Dr. Bryan TaultonDALLAS — SMU Institute for Leadership Impact welcomed 32 school district leaders into the 2022-2023 cohort of District Leadership Fellows, a hybrid in-person and online leadership training program for school district superintendents and executive district leaders run by the Institute for Leadership Impact at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

The 2022-2023 cohort, the largest since the program was founded in 2016, includes leaders from school districts in Arkansas and across Texas. It includes Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents, along with Executive Directors and other district leaders. School districts of many different sizes are represented, from rural schools with less than two hundred students,to urban districts with over sixty thousand students.

Locally, Dr. Bryan Taulton of Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD was among the leaders.

Of the program, 2021-2022 participant Dr. Angela Herron, Chief Teaching & Learning Officer, Grand Prairie ISD, said “SMU’s District Leadership Fellows program is a wonderful program that enhanced my ability to lead with a more laser focus on my desired goals for my district. Through complex, relevant, and engaging activities, the program equipped me with the tools to have a more strategic approach to problem-solving, which allowed me to lead more efficiently and systematically. I appreciate my time in the program and found each session beneficial to increasing outcomes for my district.”

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DISTRICT CHAMPS

The District Leadership Fellows program is a strengths-based leadership development program that enhances the leadership abilities of established and emerging school district leaders through an intensive year-long cohort. 

Through collaboration with peers and recognized education experts, Fellows are empowered to solve hard problems in their districts, build their leadership skills, and develop lasting educational leadership networks. The program is hosted by the Institute for Leadership Impact in the Simmons School of Education & Human Development at SMU in Dallas.

School leaders in the upcoming cohort of the District Leadership Fellows program include Dr. Dana Arreola (Executive Director of Leadership Development, Aldine ISD), Dr. Stephanie Bonneau (Principal, Mansfield ISD), Dr. Keena Bradley (Executive Director of Employee Services and Experience, Aldine ISD), Onjaleke Brown (Superintendent, St. Anthony Academy), Brett Bunch (Superintendent, Brookland Public Schools), Shenikwa Cager (Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, A W Brown Leadership Academy), Dr. Sedric Clark (Superintendent, Gladewater ISD), Dr. Michelle Cline (Superintendent, Throckmorton Collegiate ISD), Dr. Kristin Craft (Associate Superintendent, Spring Branch ISD), Dr. Denver Crum (Superintendent, Springlake-Earth ISD), Dr. Carnelius Gilder (Superintendent, West Sabine ISD), Dr. Winnifred Goodman (Chief of Schools, Duncanville ISD), Tellauance Graham (Assistant Superintendent, Cedar Hill ISD), Ron Holmgreen (Superintendent, Brock ISD), Dr. Brad Hunt (Superintendent, Coppell ISD), Gaya Jefferson (Executive Director of Professional Learning, Richardson ISD), George Kennedy (Assistant Superintendent, Brookland Public Schools), Dr. Tonya Knowlton (Superintendent, Community ISD), Jaema Krier (Director of Administration, UT Tyler University Academy), Dr. Donny Lee (Superintendent, Wichita Falls ISD), Dr. Sandra Moore (Executive Director Human Resources, Richardson ISD), Karalei Nunn (Founder & COO, Meridian World School), Dr. Jeremy Owoh (Superintendent, Jacksonville North Pulaski School District), Dr. Veronica Perkins (Superintendent, Blytheville School District), Dr. Brenda Poole (Superintendent, Brinkley Public Schools), Dr. Mike Rockwood (Superintendent, Lake Dallas ISD), Dr. Darwin Spiller (Executive Director of Title IX Compliance & Investigations, Richardson ISD), Jeremy Strickland (Superintendent, Trenton ISD), Dr. Bryan Taulton (Superintendent of Schools, Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD), Cindy Trevino (Chief of Human Resources and Student Services, Edgewood ISD), Amanda Wallace (Assistant Superintendent of Personnel & Policy, Henderson ISD), and Taylor Williams (Superintendent, Slidell ISD). 

Bunch, and Drs. Cline and Poole are returning Fellows.

The Institute for Leadership Impact at Southern Methodist University works with emerging and established leaders in education, health, and social enterprise to help them develop the skills they need to be more effective in leading organizations and solving real-world problems.