The Blue Valley School District approved Dr. Gillian Chapman during a special meeting to be the new superintendent. She will be replacing Dr. Tonya Merrigan, who announced her retirement earlier this year.
Chapman is coming to Blue Valley from the Teton County School District in Jackson Wyoming, where she served as superintendent for 10 years. She is familiar with the Johnson County area as she previously served as the Shawnee Mission School District Associate Superintendent.
Chapman said one of her goals as the superintendent is to introduce more personalized learning for students after thorough feedback from students and staff. By creating this environment, Chapman said she wants to ensure students have the support from the district in their endeavors.
“Our team will support students in taking bold risks and trying things,” Chapman said. “We learn when we don’t first hit the mark.”
While going through the hiring process, the school board spoke to a number of people for the position. They ultimately said they chose Chapman due to her ability to communicate effectively with others. Board member Dr. Sonya Evans said she appreciates Chapman’s ability to listen to people in her community.
“I was so impressed because she was very intuitive and she showed me an empathetic nature,” Evans said. “She [has] the ability to look outside of herself and see what was really going on within (a) person.”
Board member Clay Norkey also said he admired Chapman’s love for education and passion for supporting others.
“During the selection process which struck me most about Dr. Chapman was her curiosity, her relationship-building skills and her clear sense of purpose,” Norkey said. “I think she’s going to be a great advocate for us in the community and the state.”
Before joining the Blue Valley district, Chapman said she must help transition her own school district as well as work with Merrigan. She said her local connections have helped her collaborate with those working in the district.
“I know Dr. Merrigan and I will be spending a lot of time together over the coming months,” Chapman said. “I fully trust that whatever decisions that’re making today will set this school district up for success in the future.”
Once she is in the role of superintendent, Chapman said she is most looking forward to fostering a sense of community and helping Blue Valley be successful.
“Once I finally am here full time, I look forward most to being in the community and establishing relationships with our community partners, with the families, but most importantly the students,” Chapman said.
Chapman’s position as the Blue Valley Superintendent will go into effect on July 1.
