Leadership Team

Chavez High School Leadership Team

Head of School

Dr. Kourtney Miller

Dr. Kourtney Miller is a native of Columbia, SC and has been in the District of Columbia for the past twelve years. She attended the extraordinary South Carolina State University located in Orangeburg, SC. While at SCSU, she was involved in a number of activities which included playing on the Lady Bulldogs Tennis Team, holding various offices in the Student Government, joining the Devastating Divas of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and being crowned the sixty-fifth Miss South Carolina State University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from SCSU in 2004 with a B.S. in Mathematics. She relocated to the DC area to attend Howard University and taught undergraduate mathematics courses after earning her Masters of Science in Mathematics in 2007. One year later, she founded her own company Fulton Tutorial Services, LLC where she worked full-time serving over 100 clients while working at schools in Prince George’s County and charter schools in the district until August 2011. She then transitioned to teaching full-time on the high school level at Cesar Chavez where she served as the senior class advisor, pageant coordinator, instructional coach and assistant principal.

She has since earned her doctorate and settled in Maryland with her loving husband and her two sons. They are members of the Silver Spring Church of Christ where they teach bible study and serve. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and friends, playing sports and games, traveling, and teaching at all levels. She knows that God has truly blessed her with a great family, church home, good health, and career that she loves. She understands that “To whom much is given, much is required.”

In 2016, she transitioned to Chavez Prep Middle School as their principal for the 2016-2017 school year and returned as principal to the Parkside campus in 2018. Her vision is that she will be the inspirational leader among leaders who exhibits the highest level of excellence; creates systems, conditions, and a culture that encourages scholastic achievement; and defines and monitors the work that must be done, while building the capacity of those who engage in this work.

High School Principal

Dr. Kym Sturdivant

[email protected]

Dr. Kym Sturdivant is a native of Springfield, MA where he was raised and attended local public schools. He attended Westfield (MA) State University where he earned a BA in Economics and a BS in Finance. During his undergrad years, he played collegiate football for two years before deciding to add a second major and focus on his academics.

He was very active on campus and was a founding member of the National Finance Honor Society and President of the Business Club. During his junior year, he joined Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc. through the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he served as the Vice Polemarch (President) for two years and eventually became the chapter advisor after graduating.

In 2006, Dr. Sturdivant started his teaching career, while working on his Master of Business Administration in Financial Management degree. During his first year of teaching, he decided to continue his career pathway within education, after witnessing some of the inequities within the education system. After 3 years as an educator, Dr. Sturdivant earned his Secondary Principal certification in Massachusetts. Seeking to grow as a teacher and instructional leader in 2016, Dr. Sturdivant moved his family to Silver Spring, MD where he worked as a Mathematics teacher and content specialist. In the Spring of 2020, he successfully defended his dissertation on teacher-student connectedness and was recruited by Idea Public Schools for their Principal in Residence program. During his two years in Texas, he led a 6-12 school that became a top 25 school in the nation and earned an A rating in Texas. He has successfully coached several of his teachers into administrators and master teachers, during his time at Idea.

Outside of his busy family and professional life, Dr. Sturdivant is a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been ranked internationally several times, and was a two-time world finalist. He is a Muslim and part of the Nation’s Mosque community in Washington, D.C. He has volunteered as a football coach and mentored students, spending a few years with Berry Farms Recreation Center. As he transitions to Chavez as the high principal for the 2022-2023 school year, he wants to continue to provide a supportive climate and culture that is favorable to teaching and learning. It is his belief that by doing this each student and each teacher can experience growth to their highest potential. Malcolm X stated, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” As educators, it is our responsibility to help scholars use their “passports” to prepare for the future.

Director of FACE & Scholarly Life

Ms. Linda Bernal

[email protected]

Linda Bernal is the Director of Scholar Life & Family and Community Engagement at Cesar Chavez PCS Middle and High School. Previously, she was the Director of Campus Operations. She is a proud Eagle, serving the Parkisde community for 7 years. Prior to that, she worked with DYRS and Georgetown University as the Program Director of the After School Kids [ASK] program working youth on probation. She has been a dedicated youth mentor for 12 years in DC and is passionate about serving DC youth and families.