9-26-2023
With more than three decades of experience in education, Dr. Sean McDaniel was named Superintendent of Schools for Oklahoma City Public Schools in July 2018.
McDaniel began his career in education as a language arts instructor at Denver’s Highland High School from 1986-1988. He has served in several teaching, coaching and administrative capacities in both Colorado and Oklahoma. A proud graduate of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Dr. McDaniel went on to earn his master’s degree in educational administration from NSU and his doctorate in educational leadership from Oklahoma State University. This year marks his 37th year in education and his 21st as a district superintendent.
Dr. McDaniel is highly respected by his peers across the state and was named 2018 Oklahoma Superintendent of the Year by CCOSA. His knowledge and expertise are recognized at the state level, where he has served on the governor’s education advisory board, the state superintendent’s advisory council and on the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association’s board of directors. In 2022 Dr. McDaniel was named a finalist for the Green-Garner Award, which recognizes the nation’s top urban superintendent.
Sean and his wife, Traci, have two children: Erin and Mac. Erin resides in Coweta with her husband, Jeff, and their son, Russell, and his little sister, Mila. Mac is a recent graduate of University of Tulsa, and Sean’s wife, Traci, is a real estate agent and teaches private piano and vocal lessons.
Chair of the Day
Senator Carri Hicks is a mother, an educator, and a lifelong Oklahoman. The daughter of a public school teacher, Hicks graduated from Oklahoma City University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications and political science. Hicks furthered her education at OCU by earning a master’s degree with a focus on leadership management. She went on to work for United Way of Central Oklahoma and Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church. Hicks developed skills in fundraising, advertising, and publishing throughout her career in the nonprofit sector.
A life-long learner with a passion for education, Hicks decided to seek a career change. She earned her masters in early childhood education and applied for a teaching certificate. Hicks began working as a public school teacher in the Putnam City School District in 2011. After three years teaching Kindergarten at Tulakes Elementary, Hicks moved to the Deer Creek School District, where she taught First Grade for two years and Fourth Grade Math and Science for two years at Grove Valley Elementary.
Hicks has served as an adjunct professor at OCU teaching in the College of Education. In the summer of 2019, she was named a Gaylord-McCasland Education Fellow by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, and worked to reshape the museum experience for young learners.
Today, Hicks lives in Northwest Oklahoma City with her husband of eleven years, Spencer. They are the proud parents of three children: Camilla, Holli, and Sawyer. A dedicated community servant, Hicks was named CEO of Rainbow Fleet, an Oklahoma City nonprofit focused on early childhood education and quality child care in 2021. This new role allows Hicks to extend her work on early childhood to positively impact kids and families in our community.