La Kesha Drinks, Chief of Staff
La Kesha Drinks serves as the Chief Of Staff.
Ms. Drinks has spent her career as an educator serving the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD community, beginning as a classroom teacher before serving as a campus administrator, Executive Director of School Leadership and Campus Support and most recently, as Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools. She is passionate about creating a culture of support and high expectations for all students. She has a track record of empowering marginalized student groups to achieve high academic excellence through systematic support of the whole child and partnerships with their families.
As a result of her effective leadership, Ms. Drinks received the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Independent School District's Darlene Westbrook Leadership Award and has been selected to participate as a panelist during the keynote address at the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Midwinter Conference. In 2020 and 2024, Ms. Drinks was awarded the University of Texas at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½â€™s Dr. Nolan Estes Leadership & Ascension Award. Ms. Drinks is an active volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas and was the founding troop leader for Troop 598, which was established to provide scouting opportunities to the girls attending Guerrero-Thompson Elementary. She was also a founding member of the Capital Area Alliance of Black School Educators and volunteers with various other organizations in her community
She earned a master's degree in education administration from Concordia University at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently a doctoral student in the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½.
Contact: lakesha.drinks@austinisd.org
Woodrow W. Bailey, Talent Strategy Officer
Woodrow W. Bailey III has been named the new Talent Strategy Officer. A seasoned human resources executive, Bailey brings more than a decade of senior‑level leadership experience in large, complex public school districts, including service as Chief Talent Officer for Fort Worth ISD and Chief of Human Capital Management for Midland ISD. In these roles, he led districtwide human capital initiatives, strengthened comprehensive talent systems, and oversaw strategic functions such as performance management, compensation, employee engagement, HR information systems, teacher incentive allotment, total rewards, teacher and administrator pipelines, and strategic recruitment. His work centers on building high‑impact talent systems that accelerate student achievement, strengthen recruitment, development, and retention of top educators while leading comprehensive staffing, performance, compensation, and engagement strategies.
Bailey holds a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and is currently a doctoral candidate completing his Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership. Mr. Bailey is recognized statewide for his leadership in human capital innovation, having served as a regional officer for TASPA, contributed to multiple statewide committees, and supported AASPA through committee work and presentations. He was honored with the TASPA Distinguished Service Award in December, 2025. He is also a trusted national resource for Frontline Technologies, selected as a featured guest on their monthly podcast for Frontline customers across the country. He is known for fostering a culture of psychological safety, innovation, and continuous improvement, qualities that will anchor his leadership in this new role.
Contact: woodrow.bailey@austinisd.org
Joshua Jeon, Executive Director of Governance, Accountability and Board Services
Joshua Jeon serves as the Executive Director of Board Services and Intergovernmental Relations. Before assuming this role, Jeon served 11 years in Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD in the following roles: Special Assistant to the Superintendent, Executive Director of School Programs in Student Support Services; and, assistant principal, math department chair, and instructional coach at Eastside Early College High School.
Jeon began his teaching career in Chicago Public Schools after finishing a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and Masters in Teaching Secondary Math. While in Chicago, he also taught Quantitative Reasoning as an adjunct at DePaul University. Before teaching, he was a web and database programmer for Northwestern University.
Jeon is a proud father of two secondary students in Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD.
Contact: joshua.jeon@austinisd.org
Katrina Montgomery, Chief Financial Officer
Katrina Montgomery is an experienced financial leader with over 30 years of accounting and finance expertise. She brings over two decades of strategic leadership experience and a proven track record of cultivating high-performing teams to her role as Assistant Superintendent of Finance at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD, where she served for three years. Known for her commitment to creating opportunities for students in underserved communities, she has been a transformational, people-focused leader throughout her career.
Before joining Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD, Montgomery was the interim Vice President of Administration and Finance and Controller at Huston-Tillotson University. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Grambling State University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix.
A dedicated community advocate, Montgomery has held leadership roles in several organizations, including serving as Vice President for the Capital Area Texas Association of School Business Officials and Treasurer for both the Ann Richards School Foundation and Measure. She also lent her expertise to Communities in Schools of Central Texas, the Community Advancement Network and the Greater Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Black Chamber of Commerce.
Her professional contributions have earned her recognition, including the 2024-25 Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Independent School District's Darlene Westbrook Leadership Award and an appointment as the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Chapter's Issuer Ambassador for the 27th Annual Women in Public Finance Conference.
Outside of her professional and community commitments, Montgomery is dedicated to her family. She and her husband, Michael, have two children.
Contact: katrina.montgomery@austinisd.org
Dr. Oscar Rodriguez, Technology Officer
Since taking on the role of Chief Technology Officer for the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Independent School District in 2022, Dr. Oscar Rodriguez has been a driving force behind the district's digital transformation and innovation with a focus on Simple, Standard and Secure. He leads the teams responsible for maintaining the district’s enterprise IT systems and maintaining data privacy and security, which have seen significant enhancements benefiting students, families and staff.
A notable achievement under his leadership was the successful implementation of the district-wide Enterprise Planning System in July 2024. Currently, he is guiding the transition to a new special education case management system.
With over eighteen years of experience in education, Dr. Rodriguez's career began as a high school math teacher. He has held various roles in Dallas ISD before joining Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD in 2021. A first-generation college graduate, he is a firm believer in the transformative power of education. Dr. Rodriguez holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University, along with a Master's in Business Administration and Digital Learning. He has received several honors, including, most recently, the 2025 Amazon Web Services Education Champion.
Contact: oscar.rodriguez@austinisd.org
Lance Cox, Interim Chief of Police
Assistant Chief Lance Cox has been named Interim Chief of Police effective immediately and will maintain the post until Chief Sneed returns.
Interim Chief Cox began his law enforcement career with the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD Police Department in 1996. Throughout his nearly three decades of service, he has held a variety of assignments, including School Resource Officer (SRO), Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Detective, Uniform Services Sergeant, and Lieutenant overseeing both Uniform Services and Support Services. Most recently, as Assistant Chief, he was responsible for developing organizational strategies, enhancing operational effectiveness, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality police services in support of student and staff safety. Interim Chief Cox holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M University–Commerce and is a Master Peace Officer certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State University, where he completed advanced executive leadership training for law enforcement professionals.
Contact: lance.cox@austinisdpolice.org | Follow:
Wayne Sneed, Chief of Police
Wayne Sneed serves as the district’s chief of police. He leads 76 full-time police officers, including 43 School Resource Officers (SROs), eight patrol officers and four detectives. There are two SROs assigned to every high school campus and one SRO assigned to every middle school campus. The department also employs 75 civilian staff, including dispatchers, office support staff, and unarmed security guard personnel.
Chief Sneed has been with the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD Police Department for the past 10 years, most recently leading the mental health and community engagement unit. He also teaches law enforcement at Texas State University. He has more than 40 years of experience, including as a former police officer in Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ and San Marcos.
Sneed also served as a Special Agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and served as Director of Internal Affairs, Office of the Inspector General with Texas Health and Human Services.
Contact: wayne.sneed@austinisdpolice.org | Follow:
Jaime P. Miller, PE, CCM, Interim Operations Officer
Jaime P. Miller, PE, CCM, serves as the Interim Officer of Operations for the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Independent School District, bringing over 18 years of public infrastructure planning, design, and operations experience to the role. In this position, she directs the district’s comprehensive facility planning, construction projects, and daily maintenance operations. She previously served as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations from October 2023 to August 2025, during which she successfully modernized the Facilities Maintenance Help Desk and implemented integrated budgeting and scoping processes to enhance departmental coordination.
Prior to her executive roles within operations, Ms. Miller was a program manager for the 2017 Bond Program, where she directed the construction and modernization of key district campuses, including Govalle Elementary School, Hill Elementary School, the Rosedale School, and the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. Her exceptional public sector leadership previously earned her national recognition as one of Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Top 20 Under 40.
Active in the community and district governance, Ms. Miller acts as the staff liaison to the Community Bond Oversight Committee, leads the surplus property repurposing process for closing campuses, and serves on the board of the Rosedale Foundation. She holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on Geotechnical Engineering from The University of Texas at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Construction Manager.
Kenneth M. Walker II, General Counsel
Kenneth M. Walker II leads Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD’s legal function as its General Counsel. In this capacity, Walker is responsible for representing Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD in state and federal courts, ensuring legal compliance and providing advice and counsel on myriad matters affecting Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD’s core business—educating students.
Walker began his tenure at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ ISD in September 2023, hailing from Memphis, Tennessee where he served as the General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for Tennessee’s largest school district. Walker is dedicated to serving students and families and has used his legal training to ensure exceptional outcomes for students.
Walker received his Juris Doctor degree from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law – the University of Memphis and his Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Memphis. Walker is licensed in multiple state and federal courts where he has achieved successful results on behalf of his clients.
Contact: kenneth.walker@austinisd.org