Reginald Porter resigns as Hopson’s chief of staff

Superintendent Dorsey Hopson’s chief of staff has resigned, becoming the latest top executive to leave a cabinet-level position with Shelby County Schools.

Reginald Porter Jr. is leaving to take another position elsewhere, district communications chief Natalia Powers confirmed on Tuesday evening.

As chief of staff, Porter has been Hopson’s liaison with the school board and managed special projects for the superintendent. A Memphis native, he served on the unified school board during the historic merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools but resigned to work for Hopson beginning in 2013.

With Porter’s resignation, Hopson’s cabinet has seen almost full turnover since the consolidated district launched. Chief Innovation Officer Brad Leon, who was recently a finalist for the director’s job for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, is the only original member left.

The district’s most recent leadership shakeup occurred last summer with the departures of three cabinet members. Chief Financial Officer Alicia Lindsey was terminated, while information technology chief Josh Siddon and chief operations officer Hitesh Haria resigned. Lin Johnson III replaced Lindsey, and John Michael Williams replaced Siddon last fall, while Leon Pattman became the new chief of internal audit and Powers was hired in February as communications chief.