Dr. Stephens was chosen for this honor out of a distinguished group of eight Regional Superintendents of the Year, which included Ms. Rebecca Isaacs (Rogersville City), First Tennessee; Dr. Jason Vance (Loudon County), East; Mr. Bobby Cox (Warren County), Upper Cumberland; Dr. Dan Lawson (Tullahoma City), South Central; Mr. Don Roberts (Meigs County), Southeast; Mr. Mike Davis (Robertson County), Mid-Cumberland; and Mr. Randy Frazier (Weakley County), Northwest.
Dr. Stephens earned his Bachelor’s and Doctorate degrees from the University of Memphis and his Master’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. He has served as the Director of Schools in Bartlett since the district’s creation in 2014. Dr. Stephens was able to successfully start a school district and freshmen academy in just six short months after assuming his role. The new President-Elect of TOSS, John Aitken, said of his peer and friend, “David has managed to do a lot of great things for his district and do them really well, so I cannot think of anyone who is more deserving than him.”
TOSS Executive Director Wayne Miller stated, “We are very proud of David for winning the State Superintendent of the Year Award. The work that he has done has been exemplary, especially given the fact that he created the district from scratch just a short time ago. David and his school and district leaders are always very active in professional development. Being recognized for his good work comes as no surprise.”
Dr. Stephens will submit his application for the National Superintendent of the Year sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and he will represent the state of Tennessee at the AASA National Conference on Education.
In addition, Mr. Miller presented the TOSS Legislative & Learning Awards to Representative John Forgety and Senator Jim Tracy.
The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) is the leading advocate organization for public education in the state of Tennessee. Since 1975, TOSS has been progressing public education and addressing the needs of its administrators. TOSS provides advocacy at the state level for education issues that are high priorities for Tennessee schools, and is comprised of district leaders who are committed to lifelong learning, best practice sharing, and continuous improvement.
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