Hamilton County Schools Announce New Principals

  • Monday, May 10, 2021

Hamilton County Schools announced several personnel updates Monday.

Andrea Johnson is the new principal at Barger Academy. She previously served as the principal at Lakeside Academy, a Level 5 school.

Ms. Johnson, a 26-year veteran of Hamilton County Schools, first joined the district as a teacher and taught for 13 years. In 2008, she moved to the district level as a secondary literacy coordinator, and later served as assistant principal at both Woodmore Elementary School and Lakeside Academy. Ms. Johnson has been the principal at Lakeside Academy since 2014, where she started a Destination Imagination class to engage students in STEM challenges, creativity, and collaboration. She is the recipient of an Annenberg Foundation Grant (2017), and made it to the Global Finals of the first Destination Imagination Competition (2015-2016).

Ms. Johnson holds a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a master’s in Education from Tusculum College, and an EdS in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University.

“I am excited to be a part of the Barger community and look forward to building on the great work that’s already been done at this wonderful school,” said Ms. Johnson. 

Dr. Jill Levine will lead the Chattanooga Center for the Creative Arts. She is currently the chief of innovation and choice for the district, a role that focuses on expanding diverse learning opportunities for students including arts programming. As part of her work at CCA, Dr. Levine will continue to oversee the expansion of arts programming in the district. 

Prior to her role as chief of innovation and choice, Dr. Levine served as the chief of the Opportunity Zone, a learning community focused on turnaround of the twelve highest needs schools in the district, as well as serving previously as the chief academic officer of the school district. Dr. Levine served as the principal of Normal Park Museum Magnet for 14 years.  From 2013-2015, Dr. Levine served as the first full time Principal Ambassador Fellow at the United States Department of Education. In that capacity, she worked to increase the department’s focus on the importance of school leadership.

“While I have loved serving schools in my current role, I have really missed being around teachers and kids every day in a school. I am excited about joining the CCA team and working with the community to develop ideas and plans to expand the school’s artistic reach throughout the district and greater community,” said Dr. Levine.

Roxanne Anthony has been named principal at Harrison Elementary School. Ms. Anthony previously served as the principal at Barger Academy.

Ms. Anthony, a 24-year veteran of Hamilton County Schools, joined the district in 1997 as a teacher at Calvin Donaldson Elementary School. In 2005, she began a new role in literacy coaching for Calvin Donaldson Elementary School, Red Bank Elementary School, and Falling Water Elementary School. She served as assistant principal of Spring Creek Elementary School and Clifton Hills Elementary before becoming the principal at Barger Academy. During her time at Barger, Ms. Anthony led the school to Level 5 status, the highest level of academic growth measured by the state of Tennessee. 

Ms. Anthony holds a bachelor’s in Psychology from Jackson State University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“I am thrilled to be a part of bringing the Lakeside, Hillcrest, and Harrison school communities together as we position students for future success,” said Ms. Anthony. 

Karyn Cox has been named principal at Brown Middle School. Previously, she served as an assistant principal at Soddy Daisy High School.

Between her time as a teacher and as a school leader, Ms. Cox has over 30 years of experience. She began her career as an English Teacher and her first job as an assistant principal was at East Hamilton Middle High School. From there, she became an assistant principal at Hunter Middle School and then Soddy Daisy High School where she led the Future Ready Institutes for business marketing and information technology. Ms. Cox was a member of the Leadership Fellows (2009-2010) and participated in the Principal Leadership Academy (2016-2017).

Ms. Cox holds a bachelor’s in English from Liberty University and a master’s in Library Media Services from the University of West Alabama. She also earned her EdS in School Leadership from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“I look forward to strengthening the K-12 feeder pattern from Harrison to Brown to Central, and I am excited to work alongside our teachers as we come together for the growth and success of students in every area of their lives” said Ms. Cox.

Haley Brown is the new principal at Allen Elementary School. Previously, she served as principal of Red Bank Elementary School for nine years.

Ms. Brown, a 24-year educator, began her career with Hamilton County Schools in 2002 a teacher at Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower School. In 2007, she moved into administration and became principal of Red Bank Elementary School in 2012. During her time at Red Bank Elementary, Ms. Brown led the school to achieve Level 5 status during the 2018-2019 school year and earn STEM Designation from the state of Tennessee.

Ms. Brown holds a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Carson-Newman College, and earned a master’s in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

“Being principal at Allen Elementary is a unique opportunity to build on my experience as a school leader, and I look forward to being a part of this incredible school community,” said Ms. Brown.

Lindsey Hagan has been named principal at Red Bank Elementary School. She previously served as assistant principal at Barger Academy.

Ms. Hagan, a 12-year educator, joined Hamilton County Schools in 2012 as an elementary music specialist at Bess T. Shepherd Elementary. Since then, she’s served in several administrative roles including assistant principal at Wallace A. Smith Elementary, Hardy Elementary and Barger Academy. She is a co-founder of The Student Leadership Academy of Chattanooga, and has participated in a variety of professional development programs including Leadership Fellows (2014-2015), Tennessee Educator Fellows (2015-2016) and the Principal Leadership Academy (2019-2020).

Ms. Hagan earned a bachelor’s in Music Education from Lee University, and also holds a master’s in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

“As a new resident of the area, I’m not only excited to be a leader but also a new neighbor,” said Ms. Hagan. “I look forward to working with the talented team at Red Bank Elementary and building on the great work Mrs. Brown has accomplished. I am committed to showing up with a brave heart and a bold vision for every student, every day.” 

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