Leadership

Meet Principal April Hawkins

Ms. April K. Hawkins is an accomplished and passionate educator with 27 years dedicated to fostering academic excellence and personal growth in students. A proud product of Richmond Public Schools, she graduated from Huguenot High School and has since built a distinguished career in education. Ms. Hawkins holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and Decision Science and a Master's degree in Vocational and Technical Education from Virginia State University. She furthered her education with a Master's degree in Administration, Supervision, and Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, she is a doctoral student at Virginia State University, continuing her lifelong commitment to learning and professional development. Throughout her career, Ms. Hawkins has remained steadfast in her belief that all students can succeed with the right support and encouragement to dream big. She believes in dreaming for her students until they can dream for themselves, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to realize their full potential. Ms. Hawkins' teaching journey began at Armstrong High School and Franklin Military, where she taught Business for 2 years and Math for 8 years. Her ability to inspire and engage students in these subjects laid a strong foundation for her future roles in educational leadership. Transitioning into administration, Ms. Hawkins served as Assistant Principal for 3 years at John Marshall High School, where she honed her skills in leadership and school management. She then became Principal at Armstrong High School, a position she held for 5 years, during which she led significant positive changes and improvements with a strong focus on instructional quality and data-driven decision-making. Following her tenure at Armstrong, Ms. Hawkins continued to make an impact as Principal at Richmond Alternative School for 2 years and at Petersburg High School for another 2 years. In these roles, she focused on creating supportive and inclusive environments that fostered student success. For the past 4 years, Ms. Hawkins has been the Associate Principal at Varina High School, where she has loved collaborating with staff and leading transformative initiatives. Known as a visionary leader, she has consistently emphasized the importance of strong instructional leadership, a systems approach, and data-driven strategies to enhance student outcomes. Her leadership is characterized by her dedication to building lifelong relationships and modeling hope for both students and colleagues. Ms. Hawkins is deeply committed to the success of her school and its community. Her belief in the potential of every student drives her to create opportunities and supports that help them achieve their dreams. She embodies the change she wants to see in the educational field, with a career marked by dedication, innovation, and a passion for education.

Email: ahawkins@rvaschools.net 

Meet Assistant Principal Stephanie Douglas-Jackson

Greetings Panthers!! I am a proud administrator here at Lucille Brown Middle School. I am a wife and mother to my own three school-aged children, and that experience propels me to staunchly advocate for each student that I serve here at Brown. As a longtime educator with RPS, I am exceedingly proud to aid in the fostering of a safe and academically robust school environment. I find great pleasure in working with our students, watching them blossom from nervous, uncertain sixth graders to confident, mature eighth graders. My work here is ever-evolving, as are our amazing students!! I look forward to each new academic year, and I wish to extend myself to each of my students and their families. Please do not hesitate to reach out me, and remember...we are Panther strong!!!

Email: sdouglas@rvaschools.net 

Meet Assistant Principal Brianna Hodges

Dear Families and Staff of Lucille M. Brown Middle School,

I am so excited to introduce myself to you as your new Assistant Principal. I am honored to have been selected to join the Lucille M.  Brown administrative team, and to be a part of Richmond Public Schools district again which is known for creating a safe and loving learning environment by empowering students to be successful! I have worked in education for the past 12 years as a math   teacher and I received my administrative degree at Virginia State University.  I promote that failure is not a loss, it is a learning opportunity that promotes growth. I pride myself on being an advocate of getting to know my students' personalities, learning styles and interests. I am also excited to see the success of students as we all work together to foster their growth. Not only am I excited to work with your children at Lucille M. Brown, but I look forward to working with you as well. It is my vision that we inspire, empower and lead all students and it is my mission that we do this by igniting our students' passion through authentic and captivating experiences. To achieve that vision, it takes your help and support. As we work together to ensure students' success we know that the families and the communities are truly the backbone as the old African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” 

Email: bhodges@rvaschools.net