Woody
Murphy – Cherokee County Schools’ new superintendent brings to the table 38 years of experience as an educator.
Arnold Mathews, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Education, announced Thursday night that Dr. Keevin Woody has been hired as the system’s new superintendent. Woody will officially take the reins Nov. 1, replacing Dr. Jeana Conley, who announced her plans to retire in April following a 32-year career in Cherokee County Schools.
Woody’s professional experience includes 24 years serving as an administrator with Roane County Schools in Tennessee. Mathews said Woody’s role as Roane’s assistant director of schools is the equivalent of an assistant or associate superintendent position in North Carolina.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Woody as the next superintendent of Cherokee County Schools,” Mathews said. “Dr. Woody has an impressive breadth of experience as an educator, having held a wide range of positions.
“He impressed the board with his focus on student success, as well as his vision to lead Cherokee County Schools into the future. Dr. Woody is the right person to lead us forward, and we can’t wait for the great things in store for our district.”
Woody’s current position is responsible for the administration of the Roane County district’s elementary schools, all federal programs and pre-kindergarten programs. He previously served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and district-level administrator.
Woody said he sees a lot of similarities between Roane County and Cherokee County, which influenced his decision to pursue the superintendent position here.
“I’m excited about the opportunity,” he said. “Churches and schools seem to be focal parts of the community, so in looking at that, I felt it would be an easy transition. The district has really high expectations, they want to put students first.”
Woody said he sees “many positive things” already going on in Cherokee County Schools and would like to build on those. He hopes to find ways to grow the county’s student population in the process.
Woody said he also understands the challenges facing the district, including issues related to the approved high school consolidation plan.
“Looking at it, the (school) board and the board of commissioners have approved a plan there,” he said. “I guess the challenge would be how to bring to fruition that plan they already have in place.
“It seems like it’s on hold, as I understand it, and that goes back to the financial side. So we need to be able to analyze, look at it and see if there’s a way to move forward on what’s already been approved.”
Board attorney Dean Shatley said 13 candidates applied for the superintendent position. Six were brought in for a first round of interviews before the board narrowed the search down to Woody and one other candidate for the final round.
The board voted to direct Shatley and his law firm of Campbell-Shatley PLC to begin the search for the new superintendent in April, after Conley announced her plans to retire. He said at the time the goal was to have a candidate in place by November to allow transition time before Conley steps down.
Conley initially planned to retire on Dec. 31, but said she likely would step away sooner if the board had a new superintendent in place before then. She will now officially retire Nov. 1, the day Woody takes over, but Oct. 19 will be her final day with the school system.
“We’ve got a great school system, and we’re very excited that Dr. Keevin Woody is coming,” Conley said. “He came highly regarded with a great reputation, and we think it’ll be a smooth transition.
“There were so many of my colleagues, good friends and people I’ve worked with for years, who were local applicants that I really did not want to be attached to the process at all, because there was no way I could have been unbiased. I was happy to stay completely removed.”
Conley said she will make herself available to assist Woody with the transition process.
“There are a whole lot of logistics to running the county (schools),” she said. “Just snowy mornings could be a day-long
conversation.”
Woody said he is happy to take advantage of any assistance Conley can provide.
“It’s always good to get as much information as you can,” Woody said. “I would see her now as the expert. You just always go to the people in those situations. (Roane County) will expect me to help the person who takes my position.”
Woody earned his bachelor’s and educational specialist degrees from the University of Tennessee. He also holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi as well as a doctorate from the University of the Cumberlands.
Woody has also been a leader in his community, serving on multiple nonprofit boards as well as a deacon and Sunday school teacher for his church. He and his wife have been married for more than 30 years and have one son.
Under Woody’s leadership, “Roane County Schools initiated several new curriculum initiatives and significantly increased the academic performance of its schools,” the Cherokee County Board of Education said in a release.