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Dr. Joey Vaughn, Director of Schools for Manchester City Schools, was recently named Superintendent of the year for the South Central District by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.

“What an honor,” Vaughn said. “First of all to represent Manchester and the team that I am blessed to work with. This community, there are a lot of good things that happen in Manchester. I am just really proud to be chosen by peers.”

Vaughn said that each year, the 16 superintendents that make up the state’s South Central District will vote for the honor. The winner is then nominated for Tennessee Superintendent of the Year.

Vaughn has served as director of Manchester City Schools since February 2019, but began his career in 1990 as an eighth grade social studies teacher at Coffee County Middle School.

“Even at that time I had people invest in me,” Vaughn said. “Whether it was the people I worked with, the teachers that I loved dearly or my administration from my principal to my superintendent to people that helped supervise me.”

Prior to becoming director of schools, Vaughn also worked as principal of Hickerson Elementary, principal at Coffee County Middle School and principal of Coffee County High School.

Vaughn said there are some things he learned as a classroom teacher that he still incorporates into his role as superintendent.

“Early on as a classroom teacher I learned that for my kids to be successful they have to be healthy, happy and safe,” he said. “If you are healthy, happy and safe you are going to learn.”

Those are three things that have not changed during Vaughn’s 33-year career in education.

“The needs of our students are different but they still need to be healthy, happy and safe and if you can get those three things down they will learn,” Vaughn said.

“The thing I carry with me always is you build those relationships, invest in your people,” he added.