2023-2024 Administrative Promotions, New Hires, and Changes 

At the June 27, 2023, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved the following promotions: Ms. Shameka Pollard as chief of secondary school leadership, Dr. James Harris as chief academic officer, and Ms. Jennifer Oliver as director of community and government relations. Click here for the full release.

The Board also approved Ms. Karen Johnson as the new out of school time coordinator and Ms. Jennifer Richardson as the out of school time assistant coordinator. Johnson has been the principal of Barron Elementary since 2017. She has also served in the capacity of an assistant principal at Machen Elementary and Tyler Elementary (now named Mary S. Peake Elementary). Prior to Hampton City Schools, she served as a Title I reading interventionist for Newport News City Public Schools. Richardson has been with Hampton City Schools for over 25 years, serving as an elementary inclusion teacher, Title 1 elementary math teacher, and for the past 11 years as a Title I math support specialist.  

Additionally, the school locations for the three principal appointments that were approved at the June 7, 2023, School Board meeting are as follows:

• Mr. David Coccoli, executive principal, Phoebus High School

• Mr. Haneef Majied, executive principal, Hampton High School

• Carla Montgomery, principal, Tarrant Middle School

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At the June 7, 2023, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved three new secondary school principals, one curriculum leader, and three new assistant principals for the 2023-2024 school year, effective July 1, 2023.

New Secondary School Principals

David Coccoli will serve as a secondary school principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

Coccoli has been an academy principal at Phoebus High School for the past four years serving for a year as the academy principal for the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism and three years as the Freshman Academy Principal. Coccoli also served as an assistant principal at Jones Magnet Middle School. Prior to joining Hampton City Schools, he served as a high school social studies teacher and head football coach for four years in Suffolk Public Schools. Before his experience in Suffolk, he served as a high school teacher and football coach in Dumfries, Manassas and Newport News.

 

Coccoli earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Christopher Newport University, his master’s in education from Old Dominion University, and his Ed.S. from Old Dominion University.

Haneef Majied will serve as a secondary school principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

Majied has served as an academy principal at Hampton High School since the 2021-2022 school year, overseeing the Virginia Ship Repair Association Maritime Academy and the International Baccalaureate Academy. He joined Hampton City Schools in 2017 and served for four years as Freshman Academy and Academy of Hospitality and Tourism principal at Phoebus High School. Prior to Phoebus High, he served as a technology teacher and an academic program director for Junior University in Norfolk Public Schools and as a school counselor at Norview Middle School in Norfolk. Additionally, he has experience as a community-based counselor.

He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Averett University and a master’s degree in school counseling from Norfolk State University. He holds an educational specialist degree from Regent University. He is furthering his education and is currently in the doctoral program at Regent University. 

Carla Montgomery will serve as a secondary school principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

Montgomery has been an assistant principal since 2019 at Syms Middle School. Prior to Syms, she served as an assistant principal at Lindsay Middle School for five years. She began her teaching career in Isle of Wight as a sixth grade science teacher before she joined the Hampton City Schools team in 2005 as a science teacher and then a behavior specialist, both at Lindsay Middle School. Montgomery has also served as an intensive in-home mental health counselor for six years for New Seasons Clinical Services in Hampton.

 

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University and her master’s in educational leadership from Grand Canyon University.

New Curriculum Leader

Dr. Danielle Sisson-Jones will join Hampton City Schools team and serve as the secondary English Language Arts curriculum leader for the 2023-2024 school year. She will work alongside Shari Drake who will continue to serve as the elementary English Language Arts curriculum leader. 

She began her career in education seven years ago as a middle school English teacher in Amelia County and then Lynchburg City Public Schools. She has also served as a reading specialist/interventionist for Richmond City Public Schools and a district secondary reading specialist for the City of Colonial Heights Public Schools. 

Sisson-Jones earned her bachelor’s in secondary education and master’s in education, both from Longwood University. She further pursued her education and earned her doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University as well as an educational leadership endorsement from Longwood University.  

New Assistant Principals

Will Bane will serve as a middle school assistant principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

He began his educational career in 2011 as a high school social studies teacher for the Floyd County School District in Kentucky. Bane joined Hampton City Schools in 2017 and has served as a social studies teacher at Phoebus High School and currently at Kecoughtan High School. He served as the team lead at both Phoebus and Kecoughtan for their Freshman Academies, as well as authored the Hampton City Schools Geography Alternate Learning Plan and contributed to the World History II division curriculum. Additionally, he has been the director of professional development for Teach for America Appalachia since 2016 to present date. 

Bane has a bachelor’s degree in distinguished government and history from the University of Virginia and a master’s in education from the College of William & Mary. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in education from the College of William & Mary. 

Mallary Reynolds will serve as an elementary school assistant principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

Reynolds has been a fifth grade teacher since 2014, serving students at Bryan Elementary, Langley Elementary, and currently at Mary T. Christian Elementary. She has been a grade level lead at all three schools and most recently has reviewed curriculum for the HCS FLEx program. Additionally, she has served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2016. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Armstrong Atlantic State University and her master’s in educational leadership from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. 

Jessica Townsend will serve as an elementary school assistant principal for the 2023-2024 school year, location to be determined. 

Townsend began her career as an elementary school teacher for Newport News City Public Schools. She joined Hampton City Schools in 2011 as a math interventionist at Forrest Elementary School. She has also served in the roles of mentor lead, school testing coordinator, SOL tutoring coordinator, and Girls on the Run site liaison. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and completed the HCS Teacher Leadership Series in June 2021. 

She earned her bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, her master’s in elementary education, and her Ed.S. in educational leadership, all from Old Dominion University. 

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At the May 3, 2023, meeting of the School Board, the Hampton School Board approved two new principals and the director of athletics for the 2023-2024 school year, effective July 1, 2023.  

New High School Executive Principals

Bethel High School

Tanya Howard will be serving the Bethel Bruin students, families, and staff, as Ralph Saunders retires from Hampton City Schools at the end of June. 

Howard has been a Bethel academy principal for the past five years. Prior to her experience as an academy principal, she spent three years as a graduation specialist for HCS at Hampton High School. She also served one year as a college and career coach at Hampton High School and seven years as a business teacher at Kecoughtan, Hampton, Phoebus, and Bridgeport Academy.

 

She earned a bachelor of science in business management from Hampton University, a master’s in business administration from Strayer University, and her education specialist degree in educational leadership and administration from The George Washington University. Howard is further pursuing her education at The George Washington University and is projected to earn her Ed.D in educational administration and policy.

Kecoughtan High School

Dwayne Lucas will be serving the Kecoughtan Warrior students, families, and staff, as Dr. Violet Whiteman retires from Hampton City Schools at the end of June.

Lucas has served as the principal at Tarrant Middle School for the past three years. Prior to Tarrant, he was an academy principal at Kecoughtan High School for six years. He has also served as an assistant principal at Lindsay Middle School for eight years and during his last year at Lindsay was the acting principal for four months. Lucas began his career in education as an English teacher at Bethel High School in 2003, where he served the Bruins for three years. In 2001, he was an AVID tutor at Spratley Middle (now Kilgore Gifted Center). He also has experience as an evening GED administrator (2005-2006), an evening administrator at Y.H. Thomas (2007-2008) and an adjunct professor at Tidewater Community College (2009-2012).

 

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and his master’s in educational leadership from Regent University. Lucas is further pursuing his education and is projected to earn his Ed.D. in leadership and professional practice from Trevecca Nazarene University.

New Director of Athletics

Richard Fortune will be serving Hampton City Schools as the director of athletics. Fortune replaces Beth Mair who is retiring at the end of June. 

Fortune comes to Hampton from Suffolk Public Schools where he has served as the division’s activities director since July of 2021. Prior to Suffolk, he served three years as the athletic director for Hampton High School, the home of the Crabbers. 

He served as the Old Dominion University’s assistant women’s basketball coach from 2017 to 2018 and from 2012 to 2015. Between 2015 and 2017, he was the assistant women’s basketball coach for Virginia Commonwealth University.

 

Prior to his collegiate experience, Fortune began his career in education as a student support specialist for Caroline County Public Schools in Milford, Virginia, and a deputy zoning administrator, also for Caroline County Schools in Bowling Green, Virginia.  He has experience as a planning technician, a role he held for four years with the Prince William County Planning Department in Woodridge, Virginia.

 

Fortune is a graduate of Virginia State University with a bachelor’s degree in public administration.