WINNSBORO – Midlands STEM Charter has named Chantell Berry as the executive director/principal for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. Berry will work alongside Dr. Toussaint (TK) Kennedy, who was announced in March as the school’s Chief Executive Officer.
Berry, with 25 years’ experience in education, will be leading the Midlands STEM students and staff as they enter a new facility this summer and welcome 320 additional students.
“I’m thankful that my experiences up until this point have led me to this opportunity,” she said, “and I’m eager to help these students flourish in their new facility.”
Berry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood education with a minor in Spanish from Clark Atlanta University. She earned a master of education in educational leadership from Kennesaw State University.
Most recently, Berry led Winecoff STEM Elementary (in Cabarrus County School District) from North Carolina’s ‘Low Performing Schools” list to the highest state Education Visualization and Analytics Solution (EVAAS) achievement level of “Exceeding” during the 2022-2023 school year with a student growth level of 86%.
During her education career, Berry served as a teacher in both California and Georgia from 1999-2007 instructing 5th and 6th grade bilingual Spanish. She went on to teach 4th and 5th grade dual language Spanish immersion in Hayward Unified School District (USD) and Los Angeles USD, and then taught 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade in Cobb County and Fulton County schools.
She was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2006 in Fulton County Schools where she served on District Unit Writing Teams to roll out the Georgia Performance Standards. She also served on state level panels as a member of the Standards Setting Team for the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) and the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Induction Revision Standards Team.
She has served as vice principal and principal in several schools. As a turnaround principal, she has led charter and traditional school campuses to exceptional student achievement and growth.
Berry says her educational philosophy as a school administrator is rooted in transformational and ethical leadership practices.
Midlands STEM’s new building will open for the 2024-2025 school year.
