Melissa Kinard - Area Superintendent
Melissa Kinard began her career with Marion County Public Schools in 1995 and serves as Area Superintendent of Region Three covering 17 schools in southeast, southwest, and Dunnellon areas of Marion County. Kinard previously served as a classroom teacher, magnet coordinator, dean, and assistant principal before becoming a principal at Wyomina Park Elementary in 2011. She also served as principal at Ward-Highlands Elementary and Osceola Middle before moving to the district office in 2018.
Since then, she has led the Transformation Department, supervised and worked alongside school teams to increase student achievement and help schools exit turnaround status altogether. Currently, Kinard supports schools by coaching leadership teams and the development and monitoring of student success systems.
Kinard holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Elementary Education from St. Leo University and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Instruction and Curriculum from National-Louis University. She also holds Education Specialist (Ed.S.) status in Educational Leadership from Nova-Southeastern University.
A proud graduate of MCPS, she attended Anthony Elementary, North Marion Middle, and North Marion High School. Kinard is deeply committed to the community, as evidenced by her 30+ years of service to MCPS, a daughter who teaches within MCPS, and a mother who serves as an MCPS paraprofessional. She remains determined to ensure every student has the support they need to succeed.