Meet a Roadrunner: UTSA-proud alumnus leads Texas' fourth largest ISD
(Aug. 13, 2014) -- Meet Brian T. Woods Ed.D. '12. This UTSA alumnus is superintendent of Northside Independent School district, the largest school district in San Antonio and the fourth largest in the State of Texas.
Located in the fastest growing area of the city, NISD has a staff of more than 13,300. who serve more than 101,000 students across 116 campuses. If we're comparing size, Woods' role could be likened to the CEO of Hershey, Hobby Lobby or Lexmark.
As superintendent, Woods is an educational leader, overseeing all administrative matters as they relate to staffing, students and operation of the schools within the district. One of his chief responsibilities is to communicate with staff and patrons to help them understand what the district's priorities are and what challenges it may be facing.
Woods began his career in Northside in 1992 as a social studies teacher at Marshall High School and taught U.S. government, economics and U.S. history. From there, he demonstrated initiative and leadership in various roles, and in July 2012, he became superintendent.
Earning both his master's and doctorate degrees in educational leadership at UTSA, his education was a crucial step to help him get to where he is today.
"My education at UTSA prepared me tremendously well, particularly during my doctorate when I was able to do concentrated work in the superintendent certification program and spend time around people who have lived it," he said. "What I found at UTSA was that there's a real sense of care of the individuals in the education programs, which can be rare to find at a large public institution. There are professors within the college who are doing important and practical research and yet still care very much about each student and his or her success."
He stays in regular contact with the UTSA College of Education and Human Development.
"Most of the teachers and administrators we hire at Northside are educated at UTSA, so we have a lot of interest in the quality and relevance of the programs there," he said. "Plus, many of the professors I had are now good friends of mine today."
He hopes his fifth grade son will one day choose to come to UTSA, keeping the Roadrunner tradition in the family.
----------------------------------------
Do you know someone connected to UTSA who is achieving great things? Email us at social@utsa.edu, and we will consider your submission for an upcoming installment of Meet a Roadrunner.
Read the stories of other UTSA students, faculty, staff and alumni on the Meet a Roadrunner website.
Connect online with UTSA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Events
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.