School Board Approves New Administrative Appointments

May 9, 2005

School trustees at their May 3 meeting approved the following administrative appointments as recommended by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Doug Otto. Each of these leaders holds bachelor’s degrees and at least one master’s degree in a variety of educational areas of expertise.

Emelia Ahmed
Christie Elementary School Principal

Emelia served for the past year as principal intern at Hickey Elementary. She has also served as a curriculum specialist in Plano ISD; teacher, curriculum writer, translator and reading specialist in Dallas ISD; and as a high school teacher in LaJoya ISD.

Katie Armstrong
Mendenhall Elementary School Principal Intern

Katie has served as special education team leader at Memorial Elementary School for the past year, after teaching in Delaware and in Prosper ISD and as assistant director of special programs in Princeton schools.

Roxanne Burleson
Vines High School Principal

Roxanne will join this year’s Haggard Middle School eighth grade graduates at Vines High School in August. She has served as principal at Haggard since 1998, following service as dean of students at Carpenter Middle School and as a teacher at Carpenter and in schools in Graham and Houston ISDs.

Larry Farnen, Jr.
Plano West Sub-school Principal

Former Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps, Larry has taught in PISD at Brinker Elementary and has served as principal intern at Aldridge, Gulledge and Miller elementary schools. He has most recently served as administrative intern at Murphy Middle School.

Courtney Gober
Williams High School Assistant Principal

Plano ISD’s 2002 Beginning Teacher of the Year, Courtney has taught at Williams and completed an administrative internship at the school.

Melanie Sylvester
Barksdale Elementary School Principal

Melanie has served as principal intern at Barksdale Elementary School for the past two years. She also served as intern at Huffman Elementary this school year and at Brinker Elementary last year. She has taught at Hightower Elementary and in Dallas ISD.

Paul Weaver
Director of Counseling and Guidance

Award-winning director of counseling and guidance at Plano Senior High School, Paul has served as a counselor in PISD since 1992 at PSHS, Robinson Middle School, Christie and Thomas elementary schools and in the summer school program. He has also served as business education teacher at Shepton High School.

Glenda Wright
Plano East Associate Principal

Former business teacher and dean of students at Plano East, Glenda has served as an assistant principal at Clark High School and, most recently, at Williams High School. She joined PISD in 1987 as a business teacher at Plano Senior High School.

Robin Williams
Rose Haggar Elementary School Principal

Robin joined Plano ISD in 1998 as a teacher at Thomas Elementary School. She has since served as a counselor at Thomas and as principal intern at Rose Haggar and Hightower elementary schools. Prior to PISD, she taught for a year in Arlington ISD.