Rome Reporter

Kirk Balcom

Executive Director, Human Resources Operations

Kirk is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego and has worked across a variety of different industries in Human Resources for over 29 years. He joined Fulton County Schools in August 2012 as the Director of Human Resources supporting the Northeast Learning Community. Kirk brings a wealth of knowledge in Human Resources and Organizational Management outside of the K12 space. When Kirk has spare time, he enjoys landscaping, spending time with family and friends, his pets as well as volunteering to support the needs of homeless people across the Atlanta area. He is looking forward to the next phase in his career with Fulton County Schools, championing student learning and growth. We are excited to have Kirk in this role and look forward the contributions he will make.

Alex Bates

Zone Superintendent, Zone 4

Alexandra Bates had dedicated over 20 years of experience to ensure that every child has access to a quality education in Georgia. Ms. Bates is honored and thrilled to begin her work as the Zone 4 Superintendent. She began her Fulton career as a 5th grade teacher at Woodland Elementary School and worked as a Data Support Specialist (DSS) at various Zone 4 schools. Ms. Bates has a long standing professional and personal connection to the Sandy Springs community. Ms. Bates has taught and led in elementary, middle, high schools. Ms. Bates attended Boston College earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, Human Development and Theology and then she earned a Master’s Degree from Regent University in Curriculum and Instruction, and Leadership degree from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ms. Bates is a focused, innovative, collaborative leader whose life purpose has been to ensure that each student reaches his or her maximum potential. Her focus on rigorous classroom instruction, student data, and professional development has yielded positive student learning outcomes. In her present position as the Executive Director of Professional Learning and Leadership Development she develops the systems and process that supports the learning and development of 14,000 employees in Fulton County Schools. In this position she has been able to work with her team to expand or create impactful learning experiences such as: redesigning of the New Principal Program, implementation of the Principal Pool Development Program (PPDP), Executive Leadership Series, Tier I & Tier II Leadership Certification, National Association of Elementary Principals Mentor Training, expanding endorsement program offerings, provide learning for non-instructional employees, Professional Learning Communities (PLC) learning, etc.

She served as the principal of Westlake High School where she has had a transformational impact on the learning environment. Through a partnership among students, staff, and community members Westlake improved from a “D” to “B” school as measured by College & Career Performance Index (CCRPI), was identified as a “Beating the Odds School” for five consecutive years, increased the graduation rate by nearly 30 points to 90.2% in four years, and improved the overall climate and culture to a four-star CCRPI rating, and decreased negative incidences of discipline and absenteeism. During her principalship, Westlake was recognized as a Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education. Ms. Bates was also recognized as the overall 2016 Fulton County Schools Principal of the Year.

In addition to her work in schools, she contributes to the educational community as an advocate for students as a member of various non-profit boards. Ms. Bates also contributes to the development of new leaders through Columbia University Teachers College as a leadership coach for their degree programs. Ms. Bates has a deep passion and drive to help all children reach their full potential and to contribute positively to their communities.

Ms. Bates finds joy in spending quality time with her two daughters, Anna and Riley as a Girl Scout Troop leader, soccer, and gymnastics mom.

Heather Clark

Director, Data Warehouse

Heather Trotter Clark is a data scientist and senior developer for Fulton County Board of Education. Heather is a part of the Data Warehouse and Reporting team that works in conjunction with Data Utilization to create reports that staff and administrators can use to direct funding, specialize instruction, monitor CCRPI progress, identify at-risk students to offer appropriate support services, and much more. Heather is a dual Canadian/American citizen who moved to the United States in 2005 after graduating from McMaster University. She is also a graduate of Kennesaw State University a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology. She is a certified social studies and math teacher. Heather taught for 15 years in Georgia public schools, including teaching AP Statistics at North Springs High School, before returning to university to complete her Master of Science in Analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology. Heather joined the Fulton County Board of Education administrative team in June 2021. Heather is proficient in reporting tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and SSRS. She is skilled in Python, Matlab, SQL, DAX, and R statistical programming languages. Heather was born and raised in a small, northern Ontario town, but now resides in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and senior dog. She is an avid runner, reader, and listener of true-crime podcasts. She is passionate about education and proud to be part of a team that supports educators and student achievement.

Diana Quinn

Director, Capital Improvements

Diana has spent her career working in the design and construction industry. Trained as a structural engineer, she spent many years working for full service design firms before starting her own engineering consulting firm. Over the course of almost two decades designing K-12 schools she developed a passion for that type of work. She believes that every student deserves to be educated in a facility that is warm, safe and dry, and that is what ultimately drove her decision to move to the Owner side of the table.

Prior to joining Fulton County Schools, Diana worked in Facility Planning with Gwinnett County Public Schools. In that role she managed designs of renovation projects and new schools, notably two new STEM schools. She joined FCS as a Coordinator of Architecture and Engineering in 2019. In that role she has been instrumental in developing the 2027 Facilities Master Plan. She also serves as the GADOE facilities liaison, is involved in updating the district’s Educational Specifications, and manages the district’s Design Requirements.

As the parent of two adult children who were raised K-12 through Fulton County Schools, she is excited for the opportunity to continue to use her leadership skills and background in this new role within the district.

Liz Young

Executive Director, Recruitment, Retention and Strategy

Liz Young began her career in education over 18 years ago as a high school science teacher and has served Fulton County Schools in a variety of roles since 2012.

In 2014 Liz joined the Talent Management Department to launch Fulton County Schools' Teacher Selection Model. Liz has since worked as a Talent Management Coordinator and Recruiter. Liz was responsible for the design and launch of Fulton's FastTrack early hiring program in 2016 and has directly hired over 300 Special Education (and other hard to staff) teachers. She is currently the Director of Recruitment and manages a recruitment team that seeks to attract and hire candidates for all types of positions in Fulton County Schools.

Liz graduated with a degree in Biochemistry, and minor in African American Studies, from Mount Holyoke College, in Massachusetts. She obtained her Masters in Secondary Science Education and her Education Leadership add-on from Georgia State University. Liz is a wife and proud mother of three terrific kids. She delights in helping her kids with their science homework since she is still a science teacher at heart. Liz is excited to expand her work in recruitment to attract and retain the best employees for Fulton County Schools.

Original source can be found here