Biography

Dr. Barbara Kimzey

Dr. Barbara R. Kimzey began her career in education as a teacher of English and German at the high school level in Texas. As a military spouse during the bulk of her career, Dr. Kimzey taught and/or volunteered in a variety of locations within the United States and in Germany. While in Virginia, Dr. Kimzey was promoted to high school assistant principal in Hampton City Schools, where she had been teaching. As an assistant principal she collaborated with the district’s technology department to develop and pilot an online longitudinal data Response to Intervention (RTI) system that was then implemented throughout the district’s PK-12 schools. Dr. Kimzey provided the initial professional development to all district administrators on implementation of that system. Dr. Kimzey was then selected to lead as a middle school principal in Portsmouth (VA) Public Schools. During her tenure as principal, she led the school from a state designation of “accreditation denied” to earning a full accreditation, while also significantly improving teacher retention through implementation of a coaching support protocol. Dr. Kimzey was recognized twice as the secondary principal of the year by the city-wide Portsmouth PTA for her support and meaningful engagement with families.

Dr. Kimzey was then selected to serve as the Executive Director of Secondary Schools and Programs in Norfolk Public Schools (NPS), where she supported secondary principals in their efforts to improve student achievement, decrease dropout rates, decrease student grade-level retention, and increase teacher and staff retention through implementation of effective data analysis protocols and implementation of effective interventions, including alternative learning models. While in NPS, Dr. Kimzey was promoted to Chief Schools Officer, leading the district’s schools in the development and implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to ensure systemic, proactive support for students in the district’s schools. Under her leadership, the district reduced chronic absenteeism among students, while focusing upon improving on-time graduation rates and reducing dropout rates.

Dr. Kimzey holds a Bachelor of Arts in German with a minor in Portuguese from Texas Tech University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Midwestern State University. She earned her doctorate in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership from the College of William and Mary, where she successfully defended a three-year action research dissertation study that documented her work as an urban middle school principal where she led her team in significantly improving student achievement by supporting teachers in making lasting changes to instructional and classroom systems practices. Dr. Kimzey is a member of AASA, ASCD, NASSP, Learning Forward, CASE, and CASB.

Dr. Kimzey is the proud mother of two grown daughters who work in the technology field. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking with her dog, gardening, reading, and exploring Pueblo, her new hometown, where she is growing deep and enduring roots in our community.

Overview