At its Thursday, Oct. 9 meeting, the Clarke County Board of Education approved the appointment of John Gilbreath as Assistant Superintendent of Operations, effective immediately. The board also approved the hires of Damon Allen as Director of Custodial Services and Randall Priest as Sustainability Coordinator for the district.
The Assistant Superintendent of Operations position oversees the district’s work in the areas of student transportation, school nutrition, maintenance, custodial, and ground services, facility planning and construction, building safety and energy conservation, technology infrastructure services, and facility use and rental services. Mr. Gilbreath, who has been with CCSD’s Operations Division for the past 14 years, had served in the position in an interim capacity since August.
"I look forward to having Mr. Gilbreath continue the work he's begun in our Operations Division while serving in an interim capacity," said Dr. Jennifer Scott, CCSD Interim Superintendent. “We are fortunate to have found the right person for this position within our district. He has led CCSD's SPLOST projects for many years with expertise and professionalism, and will bring those same traits to his new leadership role.”
Mr. Gilbreath has 40+ years of experience in construction management throughout northeast Georgia and the metro Atlanta area and has overseen numerous multi-million dollar commercial, institutional, and hospitality new-construction and renovation projects. After more than 25 years in the private sector, he joined CCSD as the district’s E-SPLOST construction project manager and was then promoted to Director of Facility Planning and Construction and the E-SPLOST program in 2014. He also briefly led the Operations Division on an interim basis from February 2018 to April 2019.
During Mr. Gilbreath’s time overseeing the E-SPLOST program, CCSD has completed more than $300 million worth of new facilities and renovations to buildings and campuses across the district, including:
new buildings for all four of the district’s middle schools, the most recent of which was the new $55 million Clarke Middle School, which opened to students in August 2024 and was completed in early 2025
new buildings for Barnett Shoals, Oglethorpe Avenue, and Whitehead Road elementary schools
major expansion projects at Clarke Central High School ($35 million) and Barrow Elementary School ($14.3 million)
renovations at Howard B. Stroud and Whit Davis elementary schools as well as the old Gaines Elementary School (now Early Learning Center East) and the former Piedmont College building on Prince Avenue that is now home to most of the district’s administrative offices.
Work is also being completed on $52 million worth of renovations and new facilities on the Cedar Shoals High School campus, and an expansion project at the current Gaines Elementary is in progress.
Mr. Gilbreath holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Systems from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Industrial Engineering.
“I look forward to leading the departments that support our schools to streamline operations and elevate customer service in order to provide safe, clean, and functional spaces, dependable transportation, state of the industry technology, and delicious and nutritious meals for our students and staff,” said Mr. Gilbreath.
Mr. Allen has worked with the University of Georgia’s Facilities Management Division for 16 years and has most recently served as Custodial Operations Training Specialist since December 2022. In this role, he has designed training materials and programs to support more than 100 custodial staff. Prior to that role, he served as a Building Supervisor for more than a year, directing daily custodial operations across multiple university buildings, including work assignments, inspections, and maintenance requests.
The Sustainability Coordinator position is a new position created based on the recommendations of a BOE ad hoc committee that examined energy sustainability opportunities for the district in its building infrastructure, transportation, and other areas and presented its final report to the board last spring. The coordinator position will oversee efforts to implement initiatives identified and recommended by the committee - including developing environmental and energy audits, securing grants and philanthropic funding, and monitoring and reporting on the district’s achievements in the area of sustainability.
Mr. Priest has been the coordinator of the Athens Land Trust’s Young Urban Farmers Program since February 2024. In this role, he has taught sustainable agriculture practices and entrepreneurship and managed program operations, including grant reporting, data collection, and compliance tracking. He also worked to develop community partnerships and planned educational workshops intended to engage students and local residents in sustainability practices. He previously worked as a lab technician at the University of Georgia and was a science teacher at Cedar Shoals High School and the Athens Community Career Academy from 2020 to 2022.
Mr. Priest holds a bachelor’s degree in Science Education and a master’s in Environmental Education, both from UGA.