Brown advances to final round of interviews for Memphis Shelby County superintendent job

Since being named as a finalist for the top job in Memphis Shelby County Schools, Dr. Yolanda C. Brown has been through the final steps of the process- the finalist interviews that took place on Friday, February 2.  

“Transparency has been at the heart of this search for the District’s next great leader,” said Board Member Stephanie Love, co-chair of the Superintendent Search Committee. “We continue to welcome public engagement and encourage all interested stakeholders to stream the interviews or attend in person.” 

Brown, currently the Chief Academic Officer in Atlanta Public Schools, went in front of the seven-member board in Memphis along with the community to be named the next superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

For nearly two hours, Brown asked a series of questions, around her time in Atlanta Public Schools and what she would do if selected for the top jobs in Memphis.

Many of the questions asked of Brown included a focus on academy audits that Greater City of Council Schools conducted in Atlanta Public Schools, intervention support for students with IEPs, fiscal responsibility, teacher retention, and more.  When asked about the concerns of the community about a leader from outside of Memphis Brown focused on culture.

“When you come in and you turn over the apple cart you first affect culture. It does not matter how great you know academics or the strategy. If the culture is not right it does not matter…” Brown responded with.

This televised interview came after the allotted time for community organizations to converse with the superintendent candidates in small groups. A meet & greet reception was held later that day where the community was able to learn more about the three finalists.

School board members are expected to vote on a final candidate by the end of February with the winning candidate needing at least six votes from the board’s nine members.