Principal
I am married to Melanie Hodge, a Junior and Senior AP English teacher at Jefferson County High School. We have two daughters – Farrah Greer (Ian) and Chloe. Ian is a lieutenant in the U. S. Army thus Farrah and Ian currently live in California. Chloe is a college student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
I was born and raised in Jefferson County and graduated from Jefferson County High School in 1978. I have degrees from the University of Tennessee (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration), Carson-Newman University (Master of Arts in Teaching) and Lincoln Memorial University (Specialist in Education).
My teaching experience includes both middle school students and high school students. I began my teaching career at Cosby School in 1994. I then taught at White Pine Elementary from 1995-2000. In August 2000, I moved to Maury Middle where I served as assistant principal and then principal from 2001 until 2007. I then helped develop the Coordinated School Health program for Jefferson County before returning back to White Pine School as assistant principal from 2012-2019. In 2019, I was selected to be the principal of Dandridge Elementary School.
In my spare time I love to spend time with my family, read, and since 2001 I have worked with the many faculty and staff members to produce the annual Senior Play at JCHS.
I believe every child can learn and it is my honor to work with the dedicated faculty and staff at Dandridge Elementary. It is our responsibility as adults to work together and give our children the absolute best chance to achieve success. If I can ever help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me either by calling the school or through my email.
Assistant Principal
For the past twenty years, I have been blessed to work for Jefferson County Schools. Jefferson Elementary School was my home for twelve years where I taught second and fourth grades. Almost nine years ago I made the change to administration and found a new home at Dandridge Elementary School where I first worked with Tommy Arnold and, now, with Jim Hodge. Working with our students, faculty, staff, and Mr. Hodge is something I look forward to each and every day!
Dandridge is a long way from the island of Okinawa where I graduated from Kubasaki High School. I attended Carson-Newman College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Tennessee. Life as an Air Force wife, the birth of three boys in different states and one in Germany, eventually led to retirement from the Air Force and our family making East Tennessee home. After teaching for several years, I returned to school and received my Master of Education in Educational Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.
My husband and I have three grown sons, two daughters-in-law, two grandsons, and one granddaughter. Our sons are graduates of Jefferson County High School. One is an attorney, and two are Air Force officers. When I’m not at school, I like to read, play the piano, garden in my raised beds, watch basketball, baseball, and football games Spending time ith out grandchildren and their parents in Atlanta, GA and Dayton, Ohio is always a highlight!