Kristi Ridgway
Kristi Ridgway will begin her career as principal in the same school her mother finished her educational career as an elementary counselor.
Ridgway was named principal of Douma Elementary on Thursday by Superintendent Mike McGrory. She brings 22 years of experience to the position. An Ottumwa High School graduate, she taught fourth grade at Horace Mann for 14 years before leaving her classroom to take on leadership roles from technology coach to her current position as a curriculum and instructional coach. She has her masters degrees in both elementary education and administration.
Education is in her blood, both of her parents were teachers in the Ottumwa district. That tradition continues with her three daughters. Two currently teach at Liberty and Wilson, and her youngest is currently an associate at Liberty and will student teach in the fall.
“I’m excited to continue the work done at Douma,” said Ridgway. “I’m looking forward to serving that age group.”
While she always dreamed of being a teacher, she initially explored other career options. After high school, she took classes at Indian Hills to become a mortician. Not a good fit, she then completed her BA in Fashion Merchandising and Interior Design in Texas. Returning to Ottumwa and with no jobs in her field, she decided to pursue her original dream.
She has extensive experience in early elementary curriculum, having led curriculum work with first grade teachers across the district over the past five years. Other leadership roles have included: creating the Technology Fair, STEM coordinator, district science curriculum lead, Mentoring & Induction program’s elementary coordinator, and overseeing the K-5 standard-based grading.
Her goal at Douma is to focus on student transitions, increase parent involvement, and continue to build on school culture and climate. “I want to continue those deeper professional conversations around the vertical alignment between each grade level and ensuring that students have smooth transitions between buildings,” she said.
“I took a risk with the technology coach position to leave the classroom eight years ago,” Ridgway said. “It felt like I was leaving the students but what I’ve learned is that I can now impact the entire school as an administrator.”
She is certain she will continue to grow and take on new challenges in her role as principal. I’m excited for this new adventure,” she said.
