Cleburne ISD has announced a series of district and campus administrative appointments, following approval by the Cleburne ISD Board of Trustees.

                Rebecca Hering is the new Director of Career and Technical Education. She will fill the vacancy created by the promotion of Dr. Mark McClure to CISD assistant superintendent of Student Services.

                Dr. Estelle Murr has been named Director of Fine Arts. She will be coordinating and overseeing visual and performing arts and other non-athletic extracurricular programs for grades Pre-K through 12.

Director of Information Security, a new addition to the district’s Technology Department, has been filled by Heath Meland, who has been serving as CISD Technology Systems Administrator.

                Kimberly Gonzalez, who has been a member of the Cleburne High School assistant principal team since 2019, will be the new principal of Wheat Middle School. She fills the vacancy created by Crystal Kampen’s move to Irving Elementary as its new campus leader.

                Joining CHS as Assistant Principal of Facilities will be Adam Jinkens, who comes to Cleburne from Prosper ISD. Rio Vista Middle School Assistant Principal Troy Petty is also a new member of the CHS administrative team.

                “We have been fortunate to have some wonderful applicants for each of these positions,” said Allen Roberts, interim assistant superintendent of Human Resources. “These individuals just rose to the top with their experience, the knowledge and skills they bring to their respective positions—and their enthusiasm and energy. We have been able to promote staff from within, while also welcoming new members to the team. In their various roles, all will be contributors in making excellence happen in our district and on our campuses.”

                Hering is coming to Cleburne Career and Technical Education from San Antonio’s North East ISD, where she has been serving as CTE assistant director the past five years. She was a CTE teacher and department chair of NEISD’s Churchill High School from 1999-2015.

                She began her teaching career with NEISD in 1992, in which she also served as a high school counselor. Hering received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tarleton State University and has a Master’s Degree in counseling from Lamar University.

                Murr has a total of 27 years of fine arts experience. She has been the director of Fine Arts in Alvarado ISD since 2020, preceded by twelve years in AISD in various fine arts positions including band director. She started the district’s dance program, and served as colorguard director for grades 7-12, choreographer for musical theater and was also visual director for the AHS marching band. Murr’s fine arts achievements include the organization of the state’s first competitive special needs colorguard.

                 Murr also brings fine arts experience at the college level as a member of the Tarleton State University Adjunct Faculty, working with the TSU colorguard and band programs. From 2009-2021 she was a member of the adjunct faculty of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA.

                Both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree were received from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. She achieved her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University.

                Meland, who is a 2004 graduate of Cleburne High School, has 16 years of experience in educational technology as a member of the district’s Technology Department. He earned a Bachelor Degree in information technology from Tarleton State University in 2015. Meland’s wife, Kim, is a member of the Irving Elementary faculty.

                Gonzalez, who came to CISD in 2019 as an assistant principal at CHS, took on the duties of academic associate principal in December. As the new campus leader at Wheat, which will be serving grades seven and eight with the start of the 2023-2024 school year, she brings added insight in preparing middle school students for their eventual move into high school.

                “We know Mrs. Gonzalez will be missed at high school, but we are excited to see her leadership skills utilized as we transition all our seventh and eighth grades to Wheat Middle School,” Roberts said. “The knowledge she brings from her four years as an administrator at CHS is among the many assets she will provide as Wheat principal.”

                Gonzalez just completed her 16^th year in education, which began as a high school science teacher with Fort Worth ISD and includes seven years with Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. She achieved her Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Texas Wesleyan University in 2018, which included the honor of Outstanding Student of the M. Ed. Program.

                Jinkens has been an assistant principal with Prosper ISD the past four years, preceded by two years as an AP with Crandall ISD. He has also served as a teacher and coach with Mansfield ISD and began his career in education with Guymon Public Schools, Guymon, OK.

                He is a graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University and was awarded a Masters degree in educational administration from Concordia University in 2016.

                Petty has been with Rio Vista ISD since 2018, which has included teaching, coaching at the high school level, director of Career and Technical Education and most recently, middle school assistant principal. He served as a science teacher, including department chairman, and coached middle school football, basketball and track at Llano ISD for eight years. He began his teaching career with Round Rock ISD in 2006.

                He is a graduate of Baylor University; his Master’s of Education degree is from Lamar University. Petty’s wife, Lisa, will be joining the faculty of Smith Intermediate School.