When Andy Schoggin, assistant superintendent of the Petal School District, announced in March that he was leaving Petal to take over the Clinton Public School District, PSD superintendent Matt Dillon knew he had some pretty big shoes to fill.
That task was accomplished with the promotions of two longtime members of the Petal school district: Kelli Brown and Rob Knight, who will now split the duties of assistant superintendent. The move was approved by the Petal School District Board of Trustees and announced by district superintendent Matt Dillon at a recent board meeting.
Kelli Brown
Brown, who currently serves as director of student assessment and federal programs for the school district, will take over assistant superintendent duties for the elementary level: Petal Primary School, Petal Elementary School and Petal Upper Elementary School.
The valedictorian of the 1995 Petal High School class, Brown will maintain her current duties in addition to the assistant superintendent duties.
In her current role, she supports principals with analysis of data and oversees state testing. She also works with math curriculum, English Language Learners and other educational departments.
“Petal has been home for a long, long time, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to be serving the place that has helped me get here,” Brown said. “I think that our elementary schools have some great leaders, and so to be able to work with them to support teachers, to equip teachers with the resources they need, (is great).
“Obviously, the opportunity to be around students is always exciting. I think there are a lot of great things going on in our elementary schools, and to be able to be a part of that is really exciting for me.”
Brown earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from William Carey University, a Master of Education in secondary mathematics and a specialist’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern Mississippi. She taught math at Petal High School for seven years, served as assistant principal at Petal Upper Elementary School for more than three years, and was the principal of Petal Elementary School for more than eight years.
“She’s highly intelligent, and she just has so much initiative; she wants to get things done and she’s very motivated,” Dillon said. “It’s just been great for me to be able to work with her closely at central office, and all the things she does to make this district go around.
“She’s a big part of what we do up here, from our core meetings to the behind-the-scenes meetings we have where we hash things out. She’s always right there and able to give her perspective, which is always a pretty good perspective.”
Rob Knight
Knight, who currently serves as the principal of Petal High School, will take over assistant superintendent duties for the secondary level: Petal Middle School, Petal High School and Petal Education Center.
“I wasn’t born in Petal, but I feel like Petal is our home, and it’s a great place to raise our kids,” Knight said. “The job does take you away a lot, and so (my wife) Michelle has pretty much had to raise our kids, and I couldn’t have done this without her support.
“I’m going to miss the Petal High School Staff. The administration is phenomenal; the assistant principals are the smartest ones in the room. I know it’s going to be in good hands, and I’m excited to still be over there and help them grow. I’m looking forward to this new chapter.”
Knight has 12 years experience at the high school level, including teaching U.S. History and Advanced Placement history. He was principal at Petal Upper Elementary School for a year before moving to high school principal in 2017.
“Rob joined the Petal School District one year before I did, eight years ago,” Dillon said. “He’s been a middle school assistant principal; I was able to move him to the upper elementary and then a tornado hit.
“He was able to help guide us through that challenging time and that adversity that we faced. There quickly, I knew with his interpersonal skills and his ability to influence people that he would be the best fit for Petal High School, and that has proven to be true.”
“The success that we’ve had over the last four years is pretty special, and it’s not just one man,” Dillon said. “It’s just his ability to get people around him, such as his (assistant principals), that really respect him.
“Also the faculty and staff, the student body, who any time they see him, they want to come up and talk to him. There’s just a relationship piece there that’s pretty special. I’m excited for him to be taking this new role.”
District officials will announce Knight’s replacement as high school principal in the near future.
