June 17, 2021
Plano ISD has named a new Assistant Superintendent for Student Engagement and District Services following the retirement of Dr. Kary Cooper earlier this month. Dr. Selenda Anderson, currently serving as Executive Director for School Leadership and Innovation, will move into this cabinet position in charge of supervising such areas as fine arts, athletics, physical education, safety and security services, food and nutritional services and transportation.
Dr. Anderson is beginning her 26th year in education, with 20 of those years in Plano ISD. Starting out as an elementary school teacher in North Carolina and Virginia, she also worked in Garland ISD before moving to Plano ISD as an administrator in 2002. Dr. Anderson served as an administrative intern, assistant principal and principal at Wilson Middle School, joining Plano ISD’s central office in 2018 as Executive Director for Assessment, Research and Program Evaluation.
“With 25 years of leadership and service in education at both the elementary and secondary levels, I look forward to continuing to support academic excellence in this new role,” Dr. Anderson said. “This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with teams across the district in providing excellent programs, services and engagement opportunities for our schools and students.”
Dr. Anderson is no stranger to collaborating with and working across teams. In her current role, she supervises and supports fifteen Plano ISD elementary schools. “Dr. Anderson values the expertise of others and understands the role that strong relationships, effective communication and mindful collaboration plays in building and connecting teams,” said Plano ISD Superintendent Sara Bonser. “I look forward to working with her in this new role.”
A lifelong learner, Dr. Anderson seeks opportunities to continue her own professional development while assisting others in doing the same. She was recently selected to be a part of the Holdsworth Leadership Collaborative and has served as a member of Texas Foundations Leadership Cohort 1, Plano ISD’s Visioning Institute and Design Team, National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Principals’ Institute Cohort 3 (in partnership with the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards), where she also later served in a facilitator role.
Dr. Anderson earned a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University, a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University – Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Radford University in Radford, Virginia.
