Kelli McGaha-Martin has served Greenbrier Public Schools as a teacher and administrator for 18
years. For the last four years, she has served as principal of Greenbrier Middle School (GMS),
where she supports the success of all students through data-driven, differentiated instruction and
passionate advocacy for students in need. McGaha-Martin leads by creating opportunities for
others to find their own capacity for leadership through targeted professional development. She
has implemented the creative use of technology to facilitate communication between teachers,
support staff, and parents in order to maximize the success of intervention and enrichment, which
is streamlined in a daily “Fast Focus” learning period and a monthly “Data Day” that supports
students in analyzing their own data and maintaining individual SMART goals. In order to
support what she calls a “no zero culture,” McGaha-Martin has developed an alert system that
notifies parents of missing assignments and provides students with protected time to complete
unfinished work. In the last school year alone, 2,000 assignments have been completed that
would have otherwise been marked as zeros. Because of McGaha-Martin’s systematic approach
to increasing achievement, GMS has seen a three-year upward trend in math and literacy
performance. McGaha-Martin holds a B.S. in K-6 Education from the University of Central
Arkansas and a Master’s in Educational Leadership and an Education Specialist certificate from
Harding University.