A group of veteran Gwinnett County educators are taking new principal roles for the upcoming school year.
Eight educators with careers that have taken them from Los Angeles to Hephzibah will lead schools across the county. Most have previous experience as principals or assistant principals, as well as advanced degrees.
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Here are the new principals for Gwinnett County’s 2018-2019 school year:
Jacinta Henry, Starling Elementary School
Henry has been an educator for 24 years, starting as an interrelated teacher for sixth through eighth grades at Rumble Middle School in Warner Robins in 1994. She began to work for Gwinnett County Public Schools in 1997 as an interrelated teacher for kindergarten through fifth grade at Rockbridge Elementary School. Henry became an assistant principal at Magill Elementary School in 2008, before moving to the assistant principal role at Starling Elementary School in 2013.
Henry has a bachelor’s degree in special education from Valdosta State University, a master’s in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University, a specialist’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Georgia and a L-5 Educational Leadership Certification from Mercer University. She was a member of GCPS’ 2018 Quality-Plus Leadership Academy Aspiring Principal Program.
Donna M. Bishop, GIVE Center West
Bishop started her education career with DeKalb County Schools in 1988, working as a teacher and coach in the district for 13 years. In 2001, she moved to another teaching and coaching role at Central Gwinnett High School, and she became Central Gwinnett’s assistant principal in 2005. In 2013, Bishop took the job of assistant principal at GIVE Center West, where she will now serve as principal.
Bishop received her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Appalachian State University, her master’s in health and physical education from Georgia State University, a specialist’s degree in health and physical education from the University of West Georgia and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Sarasota. She graduated from Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Quality-Plus Leadership Academy Aspiring Principal Program in 2015.
Jeremy Reily, Bay Creek Middle School
Reily has been with Gwinnett County Public Schools since 2006, starting as a teacher at Berkmar High School. In 2012, he spent a year teaching at Archer High School before taking an assistant principal job at Snellville Middle School in 2013. In 2017, he became an assistant principal at Peachtree Ridge High school.
Reily received his bachelor’s degree in history and English from Pensacola Christian College, his master’s in social studies education from Georgia State University and his specialist’s degree in educational administration policy from the University of Georgia. He graduated from the Quality-Plus Leadership Academy Aspiring Principal Program in 2017.
Todd Marschke, Pinckneyville Middle School
Marschke has been an educator since 1998, starting as a teacher at Crews Middle School, In 2007, he moved to a teaching role at Lanier Middle School, and became an assistant principal at GIVE Center West in 2009. He was promoted to the role of principal at GIVE Center West in 2012.
Marschke earned his bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from Georgia State University, his master’s in middle grades education from Brenau University and his specialist’s degree in educational leadership from Lincoln Memorial University. He graduated from the Quality-Plus Leadership Academy Aspiring Principal Program in 2012.
Mary Taylor, Suwanee Elementary School
Taylor started her career in Gwinnett County Public Schools in 2003 as a teacher at Creekland Middle School. She moved to another teaching job at Five Forks Middle School in 2006. In 2012, Taylor was named assistant principal of Cooper Elementary School.
Taylor earned her bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from Kennesaw State University, her master’s in curriculum instruction and assessment from Walden University and a specialist’s degree in educational administration and policy from the University of Georgia. She graduated from the Quality-Plus Leadership Academy Aspiring Principal Program.
Kimberly Birds, Creekland Middle School
Birds started her education career in 2004 as a math specialist at Stone Mountain Middle School in DeKalb County. She joined Gwinnett County Public Schools in 2009 as a seventh grade math teacher at Shiloh Middle School. In 2010, she became a math instructional coach at Shiloh. She took an assistant principal position at GIVE Center West in 2011 and moved to an assistant principal role at Northbrook Middle School in 2014.
Birds received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Claflin University, her master’s in instruction from Central Michigan University, an educational leadership endorsement from Kennesaw State University, a specialist’s degree in educational leadership from Argosy University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University. She graduated from the Aspiring Principals Program in 2017.
Kimberly Bussey, Dacula Middle School
Bussey began teaching in 1999 at John M. Tutt Middle School in Augusta, and then taught at Jamestown Elementary School in Hephzibah from 1999 to 2000. Bussey started with Gwinnett County Public Schools in 2000 as a teacher at Creekland Middle School. In 2008, she became an assistant principal at Creekland, and moved to an assistant principal role at Twin Rivers Middle School in 2009.
Bussey received her bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from Fort Valley State University, her master’s in instructional technology from Troy State University and her specialist’s degree in educational administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. She is a member of the 2018 cohort of the Aspiring Principals Program.
Marci Sledge, Discovery High School
Sledge started her teaching career in 1996 at John Muir Middle School in Los Angeles. In 1999, she joined Gwinnett County Public Schools as a teacher at Norcross High School. Sledge became an administrative intern/assistant principal at Hull Middle School in 2003, and was promoted to assistant principal at Hull in 2005. In 2008, Sledge became principal of Tripp Elementary School, and moved to the principal role at Pinckneyville Middle School in 2013.
Sledge earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Tulsa, her post baccalaureate science certificate from Brandeis University, her master’s in educational leadership from Georgia State University and her specialist’s degree in education administration and policy from the University of Georgia. Sledge also completed the teacher certification program at California State University. She graduated from the Gwinnett County Public Schools Aspiring Principals Program in 2007.
Jonathon Wetherington, Paul Duke STEM High School
Wetherington has been with the district for 10 years, starting as a teacher at Brookwood High School in 2007 and moving up to the position of content assessment specialist of science in 2011. In 2012, he was promoted to the district’s director of science for kindergarten through grade 12.
Before joining the Gwinnett school system, Wetherington worked as a lecturer at Emory University and a part-time instructor at Georgia Perimeter College’s Newton campus.
Wetherington earned his bachelor’s degree in cell biology from the University of Georgia and his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the Medical College of Georgia. He returned to UGA to earn his specialist’s degree in education administration and policy.
Kim Mankin, Northbrook Center
Mankin began her career at Central Gwinnett High School, where she was a paraprofessional assisting special education interrelated teachers from August 1995 to November 1995. In November 1995 she moved to Dacula High School, where she was the department chair for special education and a teacher for a mildly intellectually disabled self-contained classroom from 1995 to 2008. From 2008 to 2009, Mankin was an administrative assistant at Peachtree Ridge High School, and in 2009, she became assistant principal of Grayson High School. Mankin was assistant principal of Oakland Meadow School from August 2014 to November 2014, and then site coordinator and program administrator for The BRIDGE at Northbrook Center from December 2014 to June 2018.
Gwinnett County Public Schools did not provide Mankin’s educational background.
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