Dr. Denise Watts has a track record of significantly improving the quality of education for school-age children, especially those in traditionally underserved communities. Watts is experienced in working with various education organizations to create desired conditions in which school leaders, teachers, and students thrive through a range of coherent support services which include professional development, coaching, strategic planning, and school transformation supports.

Formerly, Watts was employed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as the leader of Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment for Transformation), a philanthropic initiative composed of leaders from Charlotte's largest community and family foundations aiming to accelerate student achievement in up to 29 schools serving the district's most educational and economically disadvantaged students. She served in the role of a principal supervisor for nine years.

Watts previously served as Chief of District Support for the University of Virginia's Partnership for Leaders in Education. In this role, she worked to assist school districts from around the country in efforts to improve student outcomes through innovation and best practices.

In addition to completing the Relay Graduate School of Education Principal Supervisor Fellowship in 2017, Dr. Watts also completed a doctorate in educational leadership at Wingate University in 2014. 

Contact Information:

Chief of Schools Denise Watts
Houston Independent School District
4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092-8501

Phone: 713-556-7257
E-mail: Denise.Watts@HoustonISD.org

Dr. Khalilah Campbell-Rhone has been with HISD for more than 23 years. A native Houstonian and author, she attended HISD schools and became a teacher in the district, teaching English, history, and math. While teaching, she earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Houston and served as an adjunct professor teaching master level courses on becoming a principal.  Campbell-Rhone has served HISD as a principal, school support officer, and officer of special populations, overseeing significant growth and development in Gifted and Talented, Special Education, Dyslexia, Interventions and Multilingual, On-Time Grad Academy, and Virtual Learning.

Campbell-Rhone has a successful track record of improving the educational outcomes of students, especially those in marginalized communities. As dean of instruction at Sam Houston High School, she was instrumental in transforming one of the first high schools to be reconstituted by the Texas Education Agency for low performance. Campbell-Rhone then went on to work in Achieve 180 and superintendent’s schools. Under her leadership as principal of Thomas Middle School, the campus not only met the standard for state accountability but achieved five out of seven distinction designations for overall dedication and work. When she was named principal of Worthing High School in 2017, the campus had not met accountability for more than seven years. Within one year, Khalilah led Worthing to meet all accountability measures and become an Early College Campus, all while initiating the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate school. Campbell-Rhone was named HISD Principal of the Year in 2019. She is a member of several organizations and has received numerous awards for her work in the community. Her life’s mission is to give equitable educational opportunities to disenfranchised students and empower communities to advocate for those opportunities.  

As assistant superintendent of transformation, Campbell-Rhone will lead 24 of the highest-need campuses in HISD with the unwavering goal of ensuring that equitable opportunities and resources exist in each school so that students receive an exceptional, personalized level of support for success. She is highly regarded for her transformational work in Houston and the positive life impact she has had on students.

Contact Information:

Assistant Superintendent of Transformation Khalilah Campbell-Rhone
Houston Independent School District
4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092-8501

Phone: 713-556-7122
Email: KCAMPBE1@HoustonISD.org