Kingsport City Schools Board of Education Members
Melissa Woods - President
Melissa Woods was elected to her first four-year term on the Board beginning July 1, 2021 and was elected president of the Board in 2022.
Born and raised in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Mrs. Woods graduated as class valedictorian. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting as an Honors graduate from Milligan University.
Mrs. Woods moved to Kingsport over 30 years ago to become an Accountant & Systems Analyst at Eastman. She has experience in information technology, cost accounting, and was the Staff Assistant for the Eastman Maintenance Division. She currently serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Colonial Heights Christian Church.
After leaving her corporate career in 1999, Mrs. Woods shifted her focus to community service. She has worked alongside teachers, coaches, and the KCS administration for the past two decades. Her involvement has been very diverse; she has served as a homeroom mom, PTA president, Dobyns-Bennett High School Band president, and in many other leadership roles along the way.
Mrs. Woods also has a track record of service to the Kingsport community. She has volunteered in roles with the Women’s Symphony committee, the Kingsport Tomorrow Vision team, and Kingsport’s ShowTime productions as the Assistant Vocal Director. She has been recognized as an Outstanding Young Woman of America and received a City of Kingsport Mayoral Commendation for her years of dedication to the betterment of our youth and support to the Kingsport community. Her love for students and the desire to see them achieve their potential is the driving force behind her membership on the Board of Education.
Mrs. Woods and her husband, Jon, have been married 29 years and have three children who are Kingsport City Schools graduates.
Dr. Brandon Fletcher - Vice President
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Dr. Brandon Fletcher was elected to his first four-year term on the Board beginning July 1, 2021.
A native of Kingsport, Dr. Fletcher graduated from Sullivan North High School in 1994. After graduation, he was employed by United Parcel Service (UPS) for 11 years. In 2005, Dr. Fletcher enrolled in Walters State Community College and graduated in 2007 with an Associate’s degree in Nursing. While beginning work as a Registered Nurse in Holston Valley Medical Center’s Cardio-Vascular and Thoracic Intensive Care Unit, he earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from King College. He went on to earn both his Master’s of Science in Nurse Anesthesia and Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice in 2011 and 2012, respectively, from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Dr. Fletcher was the recipient of the VCU Paul Boyan Award for clinical excellence. He has been a practicing Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital since 2012.
Dr. Fletcher enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, hiking, hunting, fishing, and coaching youth sports.
In 1997, Dr. Fletcher married Leslie Lane, also a Kingsport native.
They have two children currently enrolled in Kingsport City Schools.
Julie Byers was elected to the Board in 2019 for her first four-year term. Term expires on June 30, 2023.
As a retiree from Eastman, Mrs. Byers has called Kingsport home for nearly 20 years. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in the small rural community of Greenville, Ohio, Mrs. Byers graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a minor in English.
After graduating from Ohio State, Mrs. Byers worked as a chemist at an environmental company outside Detroit. While working, she also pursued a Master’s/PhD degree at Oakland University until Eastman offered her a sales job. After being hired, Mrs. Byers spent seven of the next ten years in Chicago in various sales and business roles before permanently relocating to Kingsport. In Kingsport, she held various roles in procurement, supply chain, Six Sigma, and logistics.
Mrs. Byers continues to volunteer in school districts in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia providing science demos, STEM nights, and leadership discussions. She is active in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and is a board member for First Book. Mrs. Byers, a 2008 graduate of Leadership Kingsport, has coached flag football and recreational basketball for Kingsport Parks and Recreation as well as Upward. She was campaign chair for the United Way and is very passionate about the United Way agencies, where you will often find her lending a helping hand.
Mrs. Byers and her husband, Philip, have three children who graduated from Kingsport City Schools and now are attending the University of Tennessee, University of South Carolina, and Auburn.
Tim Dean - Board Member
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Tim Dean was appointed to the Board by the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen in 2023 to complete the unexpired 14-month term of service of retiring Board member Mr. Jim Welch. Mr. Dean also filled the unexpired term of Board member Mrs. Carrie Upshaw from January-June 2021. Previously, Mr. Dean served on the Board of Education as an elected member from 2001-2005.
A native of Kingsport, Mr. Dean attended elementary and secondary schools within Sullivan County. He earned his Business Administration and Economics degree and a master’s in Business Administration both from King University.
After graduation, Mr. Dean served as a high school English and Economics teacher as well as a basketball and baseball coach for six years. Changing career paths, Mr. Dean went to work for GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals starting as a hospital sales representative. Over the course of his 30-year career at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Dean worked his way up to the national health system manager. He retired in 2016.
In addition, Mr. Dean has been a tremendous volunteer sitting on the Board of Directors for multiple community organizations such as Holston Valley Medical Center, Sullivan County Health Council, YMCA, the American Cancer Society, and more.
Mr. Dean and his wife Lisa, have two sons who both attended Kingsport City Schools.
Todd Golden was appointed to the Board in 2014 to complete a one-year term of service due to a Board member resignation. He was elected to the Board in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
Mr. Golden has called Kingsport home for over 23 years. A native of Albany, Georgia, he attended Brigham Young University - Idaho, studying business and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Sales from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
After completing college, Mr. Golden worked for Hewlett-Packard in the Bay Area of California as a territory sales manager and was promoted to corporate trainer for the southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico. It was during this time that he elected to move to Kingsport. He has been an integral part in establishing and executing the annual Day of Service in Kingsport, taught business development and Spanish classes at the Kingsport Renaissance Center, and served as a volunteer in various community roles. Mr. Golden is a member of Healthy Kingsport, the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, served as a full-time Christian missionary in Colombia for two years, and speaks fluent Spanish.
Mr. Golden and his wife, Melissa, have five children; four attending Kingsport City Schools and one Dobyns-Bennett High School graduate.
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Julie Byers - Board Member
Todd Golden - Board Member
