By Joe Johnson
The Clarke County Board of Education on Thursday approved the hire of veteran educator Latinda Dean as the new principal of Whit Davis Elementary School.
Dean, who assumes her new position on Jan. 2, has served as an assistant principal at Clarke Central High School since July 2019, bringing to Whit Davis 17 years of experience in various supervisory and support roles.
An interim principal had been in place at Whit Davis since Nov. 1, to fill the vacancy created when Dan McGuire left to take a job with the Georgia Department of Education.
Dean was recommended as the new principal to the BOE following an extensive search process that included interviews with Clarke County School District leadership and representatives from the school’s local school governance team.
"Ms. Dean understands the importance of relationship-building with students, teachers, families, and the community as a whole,” schools Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker said.“ She also understands how to use data to inform decisions and knows what is needed for great instruction that empowers teachers to teach and enables students to learn.”
Prior to joining CCSD, Ms. Dean was an academic coach at Central High School in Macon. She also previously worked as the English/Language Arts Department chair and Flexible Learning Program coordinator at Albany High School and English/Language Arts Department chair at Dooly County High School.
While at Albany High, Ms. Dean was the school’s Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Dougherty County School System Teacher of the Year in 2015-16. In 2012, her team at Dooly County High received national recognition from the U.S. Department of Education for significant gains on the American Literature End-of-Course Test (EOCT).
Ms. Dean holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Georgia, a Master of Science degree in Management from Troy University, and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Albany State University.
“I am extremely excited to serve Whit Davis in this new role!” Dean said. “I look forward to working alongside faculty and staff, students, parents, and all stakeholders in our school community to create engaging and equitable opportunities where all students learn and achieve at their highest potential.”
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