Dr. Thomas B. Lockamy, Jr. has served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System since July of 2005.
During his two years with the district, Dr. Lockamy has created an inclusive model of school-community interaction. Among his array of new initiatives are the Community Engagement Task Force, the Guiding Coalition, the Professional Senate (teachers), Student Senate & the Instructional Support Senate. The tangible results of two years of hard work are a reduction in the number of schools on the “needs improvement list” from 15 in 2005 to 8 in 2007, restructuring of the central office, implementation of the Random Inspection process, mandatory school uniforms for all students and passage of the ESPLOST referendum. In 2006, he was nominated for the National Superintendent of the Year and received the Georgia PTA 2006 Outstanding Educator & PTA Advocate Award. In addition, he was honored during the 2007 Tribute to Community STARs luncheon for his outstanding achievements and contributions, by the Savannah Technical College Foundation Community Council.
Prior to being appointed Superintendent of Schools for SCCPSS, Dr. Lockamy served eight years as the Deputy Superintendent for the Norfolk Public Schools in Norfolk, VA., a district of 37,000 students. He managed a staff of 129 school administrators within the Division of Academic Affairs and Accountability, including assistant superintendents and central administration department heads. He monitored the implementation of the district staff development budget and the Norfolk Public Schools Comprehensive Accountability System to ensure staff accountability through achieving district and state benchmarks.
Dr. Lockamy held a variety of positions in Norfolk Public Schools, including Assistant Superintendent, Academic Affairs and Accountability from 1996-1997; Assistant Superintendent, Division of School Governance from 1994-1996; Assistant Superintendent, Elementary Schools from 1990-1994; Executive Director, Department of Instruction from 1987-1990 and Director, Department of Instruction from 1985-1987
From 1983-1985, Dr. Lockamy was a Curriculum and Instruction Research/Teacher and Consultant with New Bern/Craven County Schools in New Bern, N.C., and served in several capacities in the Tarboro City School District in Tarboro, N.C. from 1976-1983. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lockamy was a teacher in Fayetteville, N.C. from 1966-1971, and a principal in Camden, N.C. from 1971-1976.
Dr. Lockamy believes his key attributes are "excellent human relations skills, the ability to build a world-class district, an extensive knowledge of assessment and accountability and the ability to work with a diverse student population." He feels that one of his greatest accomplishments was "completely eliminating the achievement gap in reading" while serving as Deputy Superintendent in Norfolk.
Dr. Lockamy holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts in Education Administration, and an Advanced Masters in Educational Specialist – all from East Carolina University, and a Doctor of Education in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
