Kaththea Johnson, former Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year in the School District of Manatee County, was recently selected to serve as the district’s Executive Director for School Improvement and Leadership Development. The position is a new one created to provide specialized support and professional development for school leaders. Ms. Johnson has served as a school leader in Manatee County for the past decade, first as an Assistant Principal from 2014-2018 at Palma Sola Elementary, then as Principal from 2018-2023 at Palm View. She also served as an Assistant Principal at Daughtrey Elementary from 2012-2014, and as a Classroom Teacher at Palmetto Elementary from 2005-2012. As Principal at Palm View, she successfully guided the school through the transition from a traditional elementary to the first K-8 school in the Manatee District, and she played a key role in making Palm View the first WOZ Ed Career Pathway school in the nation, a program which teaches elementary students lessons in STEAM courses such as Coding, Drones, Cyber Security and Mobile Development. In 2016, Ms. Johnson was chosen as the district’s Assistant Principal of the Year while serving as an AP at Palma Sola Elementary. Then, in 2020, she was selected as the district’s Principal of the Year while leading Palm View K-8. Ms. Johnson started her new position on January 4, 2024.