The Lynchburg City School Board approved the Superintendent’s recommendation to appoint Ms. Sherry Sheppard as the division’s Chief Human Resources Officer, effective May 30, 2023.
A veteran human resources (HR) executive, Sheppard brings more than 20 years of experience to the division. In addition to experience in several of Lynchburg’s largest private businesses, including Aerofin, Banker Steel Company, and Hurt and Proffitt, she has served for the last three years as the Director of Human Resources for Mecklenburg County Public Schools in Virginia. She returns home to Lynchburg with a diverse skill set that will equip her to quickly address personnel needs and strengthen the HR department as a strategic partner to schools and departments across Lynchburg City Schools (LCS).
Throughout her career, Sheppard has built several HR departments from the ground up. An expert in developing and optimizing efficient HR systems and processes in complex organizations, Sheppard approaches her work with creativity. She aims to infuse a spirit of innovation into her work with LCS, shaping the HR department to best meet the evolving needs of the division.
“One of the most important jobs we do as a school division is to welcome and support incredible people to serve our students,” said LCS Superintendent Dr. Crystal M. Edwards. “I am confident that Ms. Sheppard’s experience and leadership will help LCS expand and continually raise our professional standards. Recruiting and retaining highly qualified talent who are focused on innovation and excellence is a priority for the division. We are also excited to use her expertise to implement human resources systems and processes that strategically align with the needs of our students, families, faculty, and staff.”
Along with her extensive HR executive experience, Sheppard has a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership from Bluefield College. She holds both the Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) professional certifications, which are reserved for the most experienced and accomplished HR leaders. She also formerly served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resources Management of Central Virginia.
"I look forward to working with the Human Resources team to provide exceptional customer service to the faculty and staff of LCS. We are all in this together—what each of us does as an individual impacts the whole—and we will do all that we can to attract new talent and take care of those already on the team,” Sheppard said. “This division is doing important work, and I'm excited to be a part of it."
