After a competitive selection process to identify a contractor with successful expertise in recruiting leaders for schools for the deaf, the Tennessee Schools for the Deaf (TSD) selected Innivee Strategies, Inc. a Deaf-owned and led firm that provides executive search services to support the search for the next TSD Director. On December 16, 2020, the current TSD Director, Dr. Vicki Kirk, announced her retirement, effective June 30, 2021, after twenty-nine years working in education. Please view the announcement about Dr. Vicki Kirk’s retirement here: https://www.tsdeaf.org/apps/news/article/1357361.
Josh Mason, Executive Director, State Special Schools, said “The next Director of the Tennessee Schools will continue the hard work happening to build a school community that embraces a culture of high expectations for language development and student preparation across three campuses and a community that truly cares for the success of their students. Our school has an ambitious vision where students exhibit a mastery of both American Sign Language (ASL) and English and possess self-knowledge and skills necessary to succeed academically and socially as productive members of society. We thank the current TSD Director, Dr. Kirk, for her service to this important work. We look forward to collaborating with Innivee Strategies, Inc. to select the next TSD Director of Schools.”
The TSD Director Search Committee members who have been selected to support the search process are:
- Bobby Cooper, Maintenance and Custodian Supervisor, Knoxville
- Briella Diaz, Deaf Mentor Coordinator, Knoxville
- Amy Ferrell, Parent, Nashville
- Caroline Gowin, Teacher, Nashville
- Meme Kerr, ASL Instruction Specialist, Knoxville
- Scotty Lee, Alumnus, Knoxville
- Veronica McDonald, Assistant Principal, Jackson
- Jessica McMahon, Principal, Knoxville
- Latoya Miller, Support Services Assistant, Knoxville
- Sara Miller, Teacher, Jackson
- Adam Montgomery, Parent, Knoxville
- Cheryl Shahan, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Brian Vogt, Student Life Supervisor, Knoxville
- Additionally, two Knoxville students from the upper school have been chosen.
The search committee members were selected to represent a variety of perspectives to include employees from each school and department and non-employees including parents, alumni, and community members.
“Innivee Strategies, Inc. is delighted to partner with the Tennessee State Special Schools and the Tennessee School for the Deaf to support a search process that engages and values the TSD community and its stakeholders in the search for the school’s next leader,” said Shane Feldman, CEO of Innivee Strategies. “We will work closely with TSD to distribute information about the search timeline and the community focus group and surveys that give the TSD community the opportunity to define the TSD Director leader profile that will be used to determine the candidate that is chosen for this important role.”
Please watch for updates about the TSD Director search process at the Innivee Strategies website and social media pages at https://innivee.com/, and the TSD webpage dedicated to the TSD Superintendent search at https://www.tsdeaf.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2118884&type=d&pREC_ID=2152730 and TSD social media.
Contact Innivee Strategies at [email protected] with inquiries related to the position.
About Tennessee Schools for the Deaf
The Tennessee School for the Deaf vision is that its students will be linguistically and culturally competent. They will exhibit a mastery of both American Sign Language (ASL) and English and possess the self-knowledge and skills necessary to succeed academically and socially as a productive member of society.
About Innivee Strategies, Inc.
Innivee Strategies provides a systemic framework for organizations to facilitate a strong strategic direction toward the desired vision. Our services include Executive Search & Transition, Governance Training & Consulting, Strategic Planning, Executive Support Systems, Leadership Development, and Guided Facilitation. Please visit our website at www.innivee.com to learn about our clients and their testimonies about how our services have benefited their organizations.
