The Valdosta Board of Education voted to approve Dr. Craig Lockhart as the eleventh superintendent for Valdosta City Schools on Thursday, June 2, 2023. He will be officially sworn in on June 27, 2023.

Dr. Lockhart is currently serving as superintendent of the Dooly County School System. Prior to that superintendency, he was an instructional superintendent in the Birmingham City School District in Birmingham, Alabama and served as deputy superintendent of schools in Newton County. Lockhart served as the principal of Newton High School in Covington, Georgia, and under his leadership Newton High was named a Title I Reward School in 2012 and 2013. He also served as principal of Taylor County Upper Elementary School, which he moved from a NI-6 school to a Title I Distinguished School in 2009. Lockhart was named Outstanding Educator of the Year for Elementary Administrators at the summer 2009 GAEL conference, and he is nationally board certified in the area of science.

Dr. Lockhart graduated from The Fort Valley State University in 1996. He received his Master’s degree from Georgia State University, and Specialist/Educational Doctorate from Argosy University in Sarasota, Florida. He has presented school improvement strategies before state, national, and global audiences for the past ten years and has consulted with several school systems in India on the development of STEM education in their schools. Lockhart is the author of the book, School Genetics: A Blueprint for Saving Public Schools.

Together with his wife, Dr. Terrie Lockhart, they have three children, Danielle, Leah, and Isaiah. While working in Dooly County, he was an active member in several organizations including the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce, Dooly County Board of Health, and the Unadilla Lions Club. Professionally, he is associated with the Georgia School Superintendents’ Association and the Georgia State University Principals’ Center. Lockhart is also a member of Butler Masonic Lodge #226 and the Gamma Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Lockhart firmly believes that every child has a right to a high quality education. School should be a time filled with great experiences and growth, and he is committed to providing wonderful learning opportunities for students. Dr. Lockhart is confident that when caring, talented, and dedicated adults work together on behalf of students, then there is no limit to what children can accomplish.