CANDIDATE FILE FOR CHERYL ATKINSON Po ate ate ate ate ate ae ote 0% We Moo aSe Aho Aho So OS Se Oe DeKats County ScHoot System Superintendent Search 2011CONFIDENTIAL REPORT CHERYL ATKINSON CURRENT POSITION: ‘Superintendent/CEO, Lorain City Schools Lorain, Ohio DISTRICT ENROLLMENT: —7,800 Students BUDGET: $170 Million EDUCATION: Ed.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA M.Ed., University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC B.A., University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC Dr. Cheryl Atkinson is currently serving as superintendent in the Lorain Schoo! District in Lorain, Ohio. She has been in her current position for four years. Prior to Lorain, she served as the deputy superintendent of schools for the Kansas City Missouri School District in Kansas City, Missourl. Dr. Atkinson held that position for a year before she recelved the promotion to Lorain. Prior to that, she served as a regional superintendent for middle schools in the Charlotte- Mecklenburg School District in Charlotte, North Carolina, She has held several other administrative positions such as associate superintendent for curriculum for Rockdale County Schools in Georgia and has held elementary principal positions in Orange County, Florida and Hampton City Schools, Virginia, Dr. Atkinson is very aware of the DeKalb County Schoo! District and truly believes that she is a perfect match for the district because of her skillset. She is a passionate and very driven individual who wants to not only get into a larger school district, but also an urban school district. Prior to her work in South Carolina and North Carolina she spent some time working in Conyers, Georgia as the Executive Director of Curriculum Services. Lorain is a very diverse school district with around 85% in the poverty range. The district is made up of a third White, Black and Hispanic. She has had to deal with a wide variety of issues concerning diversity. The district has seen continuous growth and improvement under Dr. Atkinson's leadership. She has been called a “turn around leader” by individuals within her district. She is known to tackle Issues head on and is not afraid of change. Chery! Atkinson is described as a leader who is very intelligent, organized, and able to assess a problem very quickly and make decisions based on data and input from others. Dr. Atkinson listens well to others and is able to take on difficult situations and get people to work together to Solve the Issues. References stated that she is a finisher. Cheryl has experience working with various unions when she was in the Kansas City School District, where she was assigned to several collective bargaining groups. This is the property of ay tc Associates, ie. an fs moe batocte fr eplication or actribution without precio,Dr. Atkinson is a straightforward administrator who holds herself and others to extremely high expectations, and is very supportive of all staff and district personnel. Staff members feel they are welcome to meet and discuss issues with her, She understands the importance of both holding people accountable but also the importance of providing the support needed to get the job done. Dr. Atkinson has a very strong work ethic and puts forth the effort necessary to complete a superb job. Cheryl Atkinson can also be described as an excellent communicator both in speaking and in writing. This ability to communicate carries over into her public relation skills. She is a very | _—-down-to-earth-people-person;-however;-if-necessary,-she-can-become-very-direct-so-that-all Involved in a situation will know exactly what Is expected on them, Curriculum development and student achievement are very strong areas of Dr. Atkinson's experiences, She has left her mark in these areas in previous positions. In Florida as principal, Dr. Atkinson turned around a falling school. In Charleston, changes in procedures resulted in schools coming out of the "Needs Improvement” category. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Cheryl met with her regional principals on individual students’ achievement and on overall class achievement. Together they identified classroom teachers whose students needed improvement and met quarterly to monitor the situation. Dr. Atkinson has been characterized as having excellent public relations skills with staff, community, and business. Her management style is one of collaboration but with good definition of the ground rules for all involved, She likes to share the decision making power by using the democratic process while at the same time she knows that the best way to get things accomplished is to surround one’s self with smart, trustworthy people setting mutual goals and let them move forward to accomplish those goals, Cheryl has experience and a great understanding of budgets and finances. She has worked in districts with student enrollment ranging from 7,500-165,000 students. Dr. Atkinson is very visible in the community and in the schools. She believes that visibility helps to build communication, trust and other important relationships necessary for districts to be successful. Dr. Atkinson makes every effort to visit classrooms weekly and is a member of several civic organizations. Dr. Atkinson has also completed the Broad Superintendent's Academy that is extremely selective and dedicated to training superintendents to serve high minority/low socio-economic districts. Charlotte, North Carolina Dr, Barbara Dilligard, Deputy Superintendent, Charleston County ‘Schools, Charleston, South Carolina Dr. Ronald Blocker, Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Florida Dr. Barbara Jenkins, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte, North Carolina *Jeanine Donaldson, Former Board President, Lorain City Schools, OH REFERENCES: * Contact pending ‘Additional references were contacted by the consultant, This is the property of Rey ant Associates, teach is nat intone for daplcetion or distribution without permalssion