I have been influenced by some pretty remarkable women in my personal and professional life. As the only boy in a blended family that included five girls, and as the father of two daughters and uncle to two nieces, the amazing women in my family have made a huge impact on me.
My mom showed me how to be a good person until the day she died, reminding me all the time that with leadership comes great responsibility to others to show integrity, kindness, empathy, collaboration, and selflessness. She modeled how to be a great person, but also how to be a great teacher, as she taught in my own elementary school.
Strong, talented and dedicated women like my mother have long blessed the education profession, including others in my family. My grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse, my stepmom is a retired professor/administrator, and one of my sisters recently retired as a campus administrator. Other women in my family have served in the role of teacher, occupational therapist, administrator, librarian, professor, ombudsman, social worker, and school board member. Each took an interest in helping me grow as a person, educator and leader, and each left an indelible mark.
As a young educator, many of my mentors were women in leadership. I served under several female assistant principals, principals and assistant superintendents. All played a significant role in my life as an educational leader, and many still do. Today, many women, including our TASA officers Martha Salazar-Zamora and LaTonya Goffney, continue to inspire me.
As part of TASA’s centennial celebration in 2025, we have shared that there was only one female charter member of TASA in 1925 (then called the TSTA Section of Superintendence). Mary Carroll served as superintendent of Corpus Christi ISD from 1922 to 1933, and she regularly attended TASA meetings. Mary Carroll High School was named in her honor.
The need for strong leaders — both women and men — in public education is more important than ever. Mary Carroll paved the way for women superintendents in our state, and countless women in my personal and professional life have guided me. Thanks to all of you who have stepped up to lead, and to those who continue to make a difference for the students across the great State of Texas.
-TASA Executive Director Kevin Brown, Ed.D.
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