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April 14- 20, 2016 » Page 4A
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Shene’ Heard, a 23-year-
old recent college graduate was
beaming with excitement to mentor
and tutor caseload students
participating in Communities in
Schools (CIS), an organization
partnered with DeKalb and Fulton
County public schools to remove
barriers that hinder students from
succeeding.
Heard said she was drawn to
the organization because she’s
always wanted to give back to the
neighborhood in which she grew
up.
Heard spent much of her
adolescent years in the Edgewood
area.
Through CIS, Heard assists
Maynard Jackson High School
students with literature and other
subjects.
“The most challenging part
of the work is connecting with
students. With the demographics
that I work with, there are students
who come from different types
of backgrounds. The average
student deals with stress or [he or
she comes] from a difficult living
environment,” Heard said.
She added, “My job is to
identify their needs, make them
feel comfortable and help the best
I can.”
Heard was zoned to attend
Maynard Jackson High School but
decided to attend North Atlanta
High School after being accepted
into its magnet program.
She said, “I can relate to the
[students] because I grew up in that
same neighborhood. I’m familiar
with the demographics in the area.
I can actually remember myself
being in high school, trying to figure
everything out, dealing with things
at home and constantly thinking
what my next move was.
“Through CIS I want to at least
have an impact on one child and
ensure them that it is possible to
make it out of their neighborhood
and be whatever they want to be.
I want them to know that they do
have options,” she added.
Heard graduated from Claflin
University in 2014 with a major in
mass communications.
She loves reading, listening
to music and attending theaters,
ballets and museums.
She said she would advise
people interested in volunteering to
start with things they’re passionate
about.
“It’s important to play a part
in your community because it’s a
great way to network-meet different
people and, of course, if you’re able
to impact somebody’s life along the
way, that’s always a plus.”
Shene’ Heard
DeKalb Schools offers interim execs permanent positions
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
Three new executives have
joined DeKalb County School
District superintendent Stephen
Green in the task of bettering local
schools.
According to a release dated
March 31, Green appointed three
new senior executives following
interim terms. Leo Brown will
serve as chief human capital
management officer, Eileen
Houston-Stewart will serve
as chief communications and
community relations officer and
Manomay Malathip will serve
as executive director for student
advancement.
All three worked with Green
during his tenure at Kansas City
Public Schools in Missouri. The trio
was appointed to interim positions
in DeKalb earlier this year before
applying for permanent positions.
The interim positions totaled
$446,316 in combined salaries.
While Houston-Stewart’s position
is newly created, Brown’s was
renamed (previously known as
director of human resources) and
Malathip’s was created to combine
several others.
Former Human Resources
Director Tekisha Ward-Smith
was reassigned to DeKalb County
athletics.
Brown, Houston-Setwart
and Malathip applied through
an executive search firm and
competed with others at the
national level before being selected.
“The only promise made was
that they would be given every
Houston-Stewart
Malathip
consideration if they applied for the
permanent positions],” Green said.
The search and selection
stands as a culmination to Green
fulfilling his long-term goal of
“flattening the layers of bureaucracy
to improve the teaching and student
learning.”
“Solidifying the executive
staff with experienced, trusted,
educators with strong track records
who tell me what I need to hear,
not what I want to hear, has been
among my goals since the day I first
met with the DeKalb school board,”
Green said.
Green said any organization
benefits from the qualities of
teamwork and team members who
are comfortable working with one
another. The superintendent said
this new team, what will facilitate a
cultural shift from the top down, is
no exception.
“I did my due diligence to
determine how best to improve
the functions of the central office,”
Green said. “It included personal
observations, conversations,
evaluations and examining previous
reviews. DeKalb is fortunate that we
have recruited these highly respected
educators to join our team.”
Green admitted he knew the
three candidates more than others
who also applied for the positions
but said Brown, Houston-Stewart
and Malathip met all the required
criteria when considering an ideal
senior staff.
“For those who question the
approach, I ask that they give it
time and observe the three do their
jobs as I have for years,” Green
said. “We now have an executive
team in place that will help the
district improve student learning in
all grades.”
Brown’s most recent experience
in a related field was senior
manager of operations at Emory
Healthcare. He also has served as
senior director of human resources
and administration at the University
of Louisville. Brown worked at
Kansas City Public Schools with
Green as chief human capital
officer from May 2011 to June 2012.
Houston-Stewart worked with
Green for four of her six years at
Kansas City Public Schools as chief
communications and community
engagement officer. According to
the release, she has 20 years of
experience in public education
systems in Ohio, Texas and other
areas of Missouri.
Malathip spent three-and-a-
half years working with Green
as director of graduation and
postsecondary outreach at Kansas
City Public Schools. She also has
experience as a vice president at
the Ewing Kauffman Foundation in
Missouri.
Green said the team can help
give parents, students and teachers
within the DeKalb County School
District a deserved transparency,
promising “quicker, more
complete responses to inquiries,
more accessibility, and better
communication.”