Written by Nia Bowers
As superintendent of Barbers Hill Independent School District (ISD) in Texas, Dr. Greg Poole leverages nearly three decades of educational administrator experience to oversee student success and operational efficiency for one of the fastest-growing districts in the Houston area. Having been appointed to the role in 2006, he is the second-longest serving administrator in district history and was a finalist for Superintendent of the Year in 2010. Dr. Greg Poole is also chair of the University Interscholastic League's (UIL) Legislative Council.
Among other achievements during his tenure at Barbers Hill ISD, Dr. Poole has positioned the district as a state leader in teacher salaries, achieved 30-year-low tax rates, and oversaw unprecedented growth. His effective and disciplined leadership gives credence to the longtime Barbers Hill ISD slogans "Excellence by Any Measure" and "We Can, We Will, We're Barbers Hill."
Prior to being appointed superintendent at Barbers Hill, Dr. Greg Poole spent two decades in various roles at Conroe ISD (CISD). He served as principal at Moorhead Junior High School for two years and oversaw significant increases in Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS) scores. In his second year, Moorhead led all Texas junior high schools in percentage improvement in TAAS. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Poole was executive principal of the Caney Creek High School and Moorhead Junior High complex. During this time, Dr. Poole helped establish a culture of excellence, improving the school's reputation statewide.
"Our faculty and students are exemplary, and we're going to change that label," Dr. Poole said of Caney Creek's "academically acceptable" status upon being named principal in 2001. Under his direction, the school earned a state exemplary ranking in 2002 and 2003 and recognized ranking in 2005.
Dr. Poole previously served as an athletic director, coach, and teacher at CISD. He was football coach and athletic director at Caney Creek from 1995-99. In 1998, he led the Panthers to the District 18-4A championship and won Coach of the Year. Earlier in his career, he taught at Belville High School in Austin County.
An elected member of the UIL Legislative Council since 2007, Dr. Poole is the second-longest serving board member and has been chair since 2012. He also served as chair of the council’s standing committee on athletics and vice chair of the standing committee on academics. In addition, he is a member of the boards for the Texas High School Coaches Association Foundation and Texas Interscholastic League Foundation. Previously, he was a governor-appointed and state-elected member of the Teacher Retirement System Board.
Among other honors and awards, he received the 2012 West Chambers County Man of the Year Award, Hero of Patriotism Award from Vietnam Veterans of America, and Article of the Year Award for Texas Coach magazine. He was also a finalist for the H.E.B. Principal of the Year Award.
Complementing his experience, Dr. Poole is a summa cum laude graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned his doctorate in educational leadership. He also has a master's degree in educational leadership and bachelor's degree in mathematics from Sam Houston State University.
A sixth-generation Texas, Dr. Greg Poole comes from a family of educators, with both of his parents and his brother working in the field. He has been married for nearly four decades. He and his wife have three children, all of whom have attended Barbers Hill schools.
