ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Dr. Chandra Hayes will be the next Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for Albemarle County Public Schools.

The appointment is effective July 1, when Hayes will succeed Debora Collins, who announced her retirement earlier this year.

Hayes has been the Director of Equity and Student Support Services for Chesterfield County Public Schools, the fifth largest school division in Virginia with nearly 65,000 students.

“Paramount among the impressive and varied credentials that Dr. Hayes brings to our division is her proven effectiveness as a strong instructional leader,” said Dr. Matthew Haas, ACPS Superintendent of Schools. “What really rises to the top when you speak with Dr. Hayes is her passion for keeping the focus at all times on students. She builds strong teams, is courageous in how she embraces and manages change, and has a keen sense for how to effectively work across all demographic groups to address achievement gaps,” he said.

Hayes’ broad range of experience includes serving as the Dean of Students for Chesterfield County Public Schools and later as an assistant principal with Hanover County Public Schools. She also directed Hanover’s Regional Governor's School for Career and Technical Advancement. 

In her most recent leadership position, returning to Chesterfield County Public Schools, she supervised professionals in such vital student support areas as counseling, school psychology, social work, health services, pre-K education, equity, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

“It was clear to me from the moment I read the ACPS strategic plan and its mission statement that this school division understands the depth of commitment and partnership it will take to close achievement gaps and to bring to life its convictions that every student can learn at a high level and that every student can succeed in school, in their careers, and as family and community leaders,” Hayes said..

Hayes earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Virginia Tech, and she holds a master’s degree in Secondary Science Education from City College of New York. She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Science Education from East Carolina University. 

Hayes began her career in 2003 as a high school science teacher in Chesterfield. She also taught science at the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts and at the Bronx Leadership Academy, both in New York City, before returning to Virginia in 2011.