The house is still as Dr. Leanne Shivers answers her cell phone, preparing for the conversation that could define her career, and her family’s future.
“When I started looking at different superintendency jobs, we would either say yes or no to me applying based on what it meant for our family,” Dr. Shivers said. “When Coppell came open, it was a pretty easy yes because of the opportunity that it held for us.”
Her husband, Chad Shivers, was tasked with keeping their twin sons, Luther and Joseph occupied in the kitchen. He quietly peeked in their bedroom doorway, looking for the signal that meant his wife was the district’s lone finalist.
“As I gave him a thumbs up while talking on the phone…the board could hear my boys in the background, screaming and jumping up in excitement that they were going to be Cowboys,” Dr. Shivers said.
On Oct. 10, Dr. Shivers officially began her role as the new superintendent for Coppell ISD. While this is her first experience in a high-profile administrative position, Shivers is no stranger to the world of Texas education or to Coppell itself, having 26 years of experience in a multitude of districts, including CISD.
In 2009, she entered Coppell as the associate principal of Coppell High School under Principal Dr. Brad Hunt, the man she replaces as superintendent. She would go serve as principal at Coppell Middle School North and New Tech High @ Coppell before becoming a district administrator in Keller ISD.
Dr. Hunt first met Dr. Shivers when she was working in Carroll ISD in Southlake alongside his wife, Janay.
“I was really excited when she expressed an interest in our open position,”Dr. Hunt said. “When she was interviewed by the team, she just blew everybody away with her enthusiasm, her commitment to kids and her vision.”
To Dr. Hunt, her dedication to creating change and involvement in the district was key to her success as an educator, and exactly why she was chosen to be superintendent.
“She’s a team player and was always willing to do whatever I needed her to do, whether it was in her job description or not,” Dr. Hunt said. “She was usually one of the first people to raise her hand to say, ‘Let me help out. What can I do?’”
To the teachers who have worked with Dr. Shivers, including CHS IB coordinator Michael Brock, she made school environments a better place just by being herself.
“It was always very clear that she was glad to be at work every day and wanted to be a positive influence,” Brock said. “It was that sense of, you were happy to see her and you felt that way because she was happy to see you.”
As associate principal, Dr. Shivers was key in the development of the IB Program, working with Brock to build resources and opportunities for diploma students.
“The thing that comes to mind when I think of Dr. Shivers the most is support,” Brock said. “She was always ready to step in.”
Brock thinks her familiarity with the inner workings of the district and experiences in several roles are among her biggest assets.
“There are no blind spots for her. She’s on top of her leadership skills and very good at analyzing situations,” Brock said.
For Dr. Shivers, her vision has always begun and ended with the importance of interconnectedness. Her return to Coppell mirrors many of the aspects of when she first entered the district more than 15 years ago.
At that time, the community was experiencing many changes, with the original Lee Elementary School closed to make way for New Tech.
“There was a level of uncertainty,” Dr. Shivers said. “I think that’s where we are again. Once we’re on the other side of it, I see the relationships that we have built allowing us to come together…to be unified, to see ourselves as Cowboys.”
Dr. Shivers wants to maintain a focus on building up the district to new heights, by working with those who make CISD special: its families.
“The reason that it feels like there is no place like Coppell is because people invest in each other, people invest in the community, and people invest in our schools,” Dr. Shivers said.
As superintendent, Dr. Shivers wants students to know what it means to be a part of the Coppell Cowboys family.
“Celebrating students’ successes and cheering them on…experiencing difficult things with them and being able to walk through whatever situation it might be, makes them realize you’re here to ensure that that happens for every single student,” Dr. Shivers said. “That shows you’re someone who’s not just a figurehead, but somebody who’s here to make sure that we take care of everybody so we can continue to move forward.”
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