LCS Superintendent Dr. Kristy Somerville-Midgette’s Collaborative Approach to School Administration
By: Shannon Kelly | Photography by: Ashlee Glen
A former Lynchburg City Schools teacher has returned in a full-circle moment to lead the division as superintendent.
Last May, Dr. Kristy Somerville-Midgette returned to the city where she obtained her higher education to lead its public school system. As superintendent of Lynchburg City Schools, she brings a collaborative approach to her servant-leadership style, working to build up the team around her and prioritizing improved academic achievement and outcomes for the city’s students.
Originally from Clarksville, Virginia, Somerville-Midgette began calling Lynchburg home at age 18, when she enrolled at Lynchburg College—now the University of Lynchburg.
As a first-generation college student, Somerville-Midgette was presented with a wide variety of possible career paths. Before opting for higher education, she considered joining the military or becoming a mechanic. There was not a firm, clear goal set in her mind upon leaving high school, but there were many possibilities.
It wasn’t until participating in a community service effort with her college sorority—Delta Sigma Theta—and working with adults who had disabilities or special needs that Somerville-Midgette discovered her spark of passion.
“I liked it,” she said. “It worked for me; it felt natural, and we were mostly helping them with daily living skills, and sort of the rest was history.”
Somerville-Midgette switched from biology to a double major in special education and psychology.
Initially, she intended to work with adults who had disabilities and special needs. But with limited opportunities for that line of work without a
master’s degree, Somerville-Midgette found herself in special education.
“It literally was a community service opportunity that turned into what I kind of feel like has been my life’s work,” she said. “I really wanted to support students with disabilities and families that have students with disabilities, and then it just kind of went to administration, and it’s gone full circle.”
After completing her undergrad, Somerville-Midgette earned her master’s degree at the University of Lynchburg, endorsement for administration, and obtained a Doctor of Educational Leadership and Administration from Liberty University. She worked as a special education teacher at LCS from 2003 through 2006.
Somerville-Midgette did not set out with the goal to get into the administrative side of education; she was more or less funneled into it.
Colleagues recognized her natural leadership qualities, and many of them—at multiple schools where she worked over the years—encouraged her to pursue a career in school administration.
Though teaching was her first love, and she felt reluctant to leave the classroom, Somerville-Midgette finally decided to expand her horizons. She got her endorsement for administration, at the urging of her former superintendent, and when a principal position opened up in the Cumberland County school system, she went for it.
“I’ve always had people who were encouraging me,” she noted. “And sometimes, I would get in a spot, and I needed that nudge when I became principal. I was like, ‘I love my kids. I love this.’ I knew all 500 of those students; I knew their families; I knew everything they needed. If they had a D or an F, we had meetings every four-and-a-half weeks and talked about everything. And my then-superintendent said, ‘Kristy, there are other openings. You need to shift.’”
Throughout her professional journey, Somerville-Midgette never put pressure on herself to follow expected timelines or schedules. When an opportunity made sense—not only for herself, but also for those she would be serving—she took it, adding that “every opportunity is not an opportunity.”
“I think oftentimes, people will say, ‘Well, you need to be in this role for five years,’” she remarked. “‘You need to do this for seven years. You need to do this for X amount of time.’ When I felt the need to shift … although sometimes you’re comfortable, and sometimes I had to shift with a nudge, and then other times, I said, ‘You know what? It’s time to shift. I’ve done everything I can do here.’”
Somerville-Midgette most recently served as superintendent of Brunswick County Schools. Between her first principalship and her current superintendent position, she held other jobs including director of secondary instruction and career and technical education at Cumberland County Public Schools and assistant superintendent at Mecklenburg County Public Schools.
Her leadership extends beyond school systems: Somerville-Midgette also served as a town council member in Clarksville; president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents; and vice president of Women Education Leaders of Virginia. Additionally, she was a Virginia Governing Board Representative for the American Association of School Superintendents, according to LCS.
Throughout her journey, Somerville-Midgette said she has aimed to stay grounded and rooted in who she is.
“I’ve always said, ‘Hey, I’m not the slick and shiny; I’m a worker,’ and I think that’s something that’s been helpful for me throughout this time,” she said.
Somerville-Midgette takes a collaborative, servant-leadership approach, and believes in giving the “why” behind her decisions.
“I like to discuss what we’re doing, what we’re thinking about,” she said. “I believe that you have to give the ‘why’ behind what you’re doing.”
One of the most significant skills Somerville-Midgette has honed over the course of her career is listening.
“I think for me, I’ve learned to just be present, and listen,” she noted. “I’m a processor; sometimes, I take it and have to process. But sometimes, don’t be so quick to respond, and to understand, try to read the room and understand where people are coming from.”
Building capacity among her team is another priority for Somerville-Midgette.
“One thing that has sustained me is, I am really big on building capacity,” she stated. “I think it’s helpful for people to learn and grow. I’m not a one-person-at-the-table mentality; I think we all need to be there.”
Just like her past colleagues noticed her strengths and encouraged her to pursue new avenues, Somerville-Midgette recognizes the talents in those she works with and tries to provide opportunities for them to grow in their strengths.
“We have to make sure that we pour into you, because some people don’t know their gifts until somebody else says, ‘You’re really good with this—have you thought about X, Y, and Z?’” she said.
As a leader, Somerville-Midgette said having empathy is also important.
“I think this work takes a certain level of empathy,” she said. “It doesn’t mean I have to agree, and that’s where we get confused sometimes as leaders. Like, ‘Oh, if I say that I care, then I have to agree.’ No. We can agree to disagree, but having a certain level of empathy, and paying attention.”
Somerville-Midgette views her position as working for school division staff, in addition to the school board; she does not dominate.
As she continues settling into her role, Somerville-Midgette said it has been a “listen, learn, observe” process. She does not want to make changes in
the school division for the sake of making changes; if something works, she said, then keep it.
“I think if I could sum it up in one word, probably, it would be ‘connection,’” she remarked. “Trying to focus on making those connections with everyone, and what’s been happening, and how do we connect this to move forward.”
The division is actively working on its five-year strategic plan, and one of the top priorities, Somerville-Midgette said, is improving academic achievement and outcomes for all students, whether they are struggling to make it through or are gifted and perhaps need more of a challenge. Access to opportunity for students is a core part of Somerville-Midgette’s personal philosophy of teaching, and she brings this philosophy to LCS.
“Honestly, for me, it’s always been important for students to have access to opportunity and experiences that are going to enhance them and help them to grow,” Somerville-Midgette said. “It’s not as simple as just making sure we teach the core subjects, but how are we able to teach and to pour into students so they can make the connections? That when they leave high school, they have choices? Because choice is so important for me.”
From challenges, opportunities bloom, she added, and LCS’s team has risen to the occasion.
“We have faced some academic decline over the last 20 years,” she noted. “We recognize that. But I think that challenge really led us into an opportunity for growth, because now we are having some very structured principals’ meetings and trainings so that we can fill our cups. We’re building systems and processes at the central office level so that we can best support the buildings.”
Lynchburg City Schools has a strong sense of community and commitment, Somerville-Midgette said. From dedicated employees to local community organizations that partner with the school system in various ways, the division is heavily supported as it plays to its strengths and looks ahead to the future.
