Dr. Roderick F. Richmond serves as Interim Superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the nation’s twenty-third largest district. A veteran educator with more than thirty-one years of service, he is known for leading transformative school improvement efforts and elevating student achievement across Memphis.
Before becoming Interim Superintendent, Dr. Richmond served as the district’s Transformation Officer, overseeing networks and specialized divisions that support schools with D or F letter grades. His work focused on moving these schools to higher performance levels and ensuring strong supports for the more than eleven thousand students they serve.
Dr. Richmond has held several senior leadership roles, including Chief Academic Officer during the historic SCS–MCS merger and Deputy Superintendent and Chief of School Operations for legacy Memphis City Schools. His leadership contributed to improved student growth, higher accountability outcomes, increased FAFSA and Tennessee Promise participation, and the success of the nationally recognized Innovation Zone.
His accomplishments have earned numerous recognitions, including the Leadership Memphis Change Makers Award, induction into the University of Mississippi School of Education Hall of Fame, and national attention for helping Booker T. Washington High School win the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, which brought President Obama to campus.
Dr. Richmond holds advanced degrees in educational leadership from Union University and the University of Mississippi and has completed leadership development programs at Harvard University and the Tennessee School Boards Association. A proud product of Memphis City Schools, he has mentored educators and leaders across the region. He is married and the father of two sons and grandfather to Reign and Roderick Richmond III.
