Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership Dr. Darryl J. Henson is a native of Houston and has served Cedar Hill ISD since 2018.  As assistant superintendent of school leadership, he supervises, supports and coaches principals and assistant principals. He is also currently serving as a co-principal to the Ninth Grade Center.

Prior to his appointment in Cedar Hill ISD, Dr. Henson served as the principal of North Forest High School in Houston Independent School District, principal of Parkland High School in the Ysleta Independent School District. He was also a classroom teacher, coach, and principal in the Austin, Houston, and El Paso regions. 

During his tenures at North Forest and Parkland high schools, both campuses experienced unprecedented gains on state assessment results, increased enrollment, and reinvigorated senses of school spirit and community pride. Under Henson’s leadership, Parkland High School earned all seven Distinction designations from the Texas Education Agency - only 1.9% of Texas schools earn this accolade. Additionally, North Forest High School earned the highest student progress measure of all Achieve 180 campuses in the Houston ISD during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey under Dr. Henson’s leadership.

Throughout the years, Dr. Henson has been regarded for his passion and vibrant personality as he has built lasting relationships with students and communities across Texas. Dr. Henson firmly believes that culture, curriculum, and community are the pillars of establishing and maintaining a thriving school system.

Dr. Henson earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from The University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston.

My name is Shay Whittaker, and I am excited to join the leadership team at Cedar Hill High School. This is my 14th year in education and all have been in Cedar Hill ISD. I've served our students at the campus level as an elementary advanced academics teacher, interventionist, instructional coach, assistant principal and most recently as the Interim Chancellor at Collegiate Prep. I have also been fortunate to serve in several leadership capacities at the district level overseeing elementary math curriculum, professional development, family & community engagement (FACE), and STEAM. In my capacity as the leader of FACE, I facilitated the installment of All Pro Dads chapters at each campus, re-established the Council of PTAs, and led each of the superintendent roundtables and aspiring principal's leadership institute.  In my capacity of as a coordinator in the academics department, I oversaw the new teacher academy, established teacher summer institutes, and established the STEAM academies at Bessie Coleman and Permenter Middle Schools.  Most recently during my tenure at the Ninth Grade Center, my Algebra team achieved double digit gains, CTE LIVE was established, I project managed the installation of a new school spirit store and photography & video production studio (projected opening Feb. 2019), and Project Lead the Way was implemented for Engineering scholars. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from THE University of Texas at Austin, and received my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.