Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Some leadership changes are coming to Buckingham County Public Schools (BCPS) after the School Board appointed a new member and hired an interim superintendent.

During the Wednesday, Nov. 10, Buckingham School Board meeting, members hired Dr. John Keeler as the new interim superintendent. Keeler will serve in this role until a permanent replacement is found for former BCPS Superintendent Dr. Daisy Hicks who recently announced her retirement.

According to School Board Chair and District 7 Member Theresa Bryant, the school is currently in the early stages of a superintendent search with assistance from the Virginia School Board Association.

The School Board also appointed Michelle V. Ford to the District 6 School Board seat. Ford will begin her appointment on Jan.1 of 2022 due to current District 6 Member Thomas Hutcherson Jr.’s resignation, effective Dec. 31. Ford will hold the seat until an election is held in Nov. of 2022.

According to Bryant, Ford is currently a regional testing and training coordinator for the Virginia Department of Corrections and is affiliated with many adult education organizations. She has three children, one of which is a student in the BCPS school system.

Ford has an associate’s degree in education, a bachelor’s degree in sociology anda post graduate teacher’s licensure. She received a master’s degree in human services with a specialization in counseling studies and is currently working on a PhD in human services and education administration.

Keeler is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in science education. He possesses a master’s degree from Virginia State University in educational leadership and a doctorate in education leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Keeler recently retired as superintendent of Buena Vista City Public Schools where he served as superintendent from 2013 to June 2021.

On Friday, Bryant thanked Hicks for her years of leadership with BCPS.

“We as a board are grateful that she has started some sound programs that will assist our students in obtaining their full potential, and we are very thankful for her initiative in getting our school system set up with these programs,” Bryant said. “We wish her the very best in her retirement as we were not able to pass that on to her publicly at our last meeting as we had wished as a board that we could.”