Meet The Team
Nedria West, M.Ed.
Nedria (McClain) West is an esteemed educational leader dedicated to fostering a nurturing environment for students’ growth and success. As the Principal of Hays-Porter School, Mrs. West brings over two decades of experience in the field of education. Her journey from a teacher to an accomplished principal has been marked by a commitment to academic excellence and student development. Mrs. West began her journey in education as a teacher in the Cincinnati Public School District. She further honed her leadership skills by becoming a Reading Facilitator as well as an Assistant Principal before assuming her current role as the Principal of Hays-Porter School.
Mrs. West’s educational accomplishments are underscored by her academic pursuits. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Education in Elementary Education from Xavier University. Additionally, her credentials as a Turn- Around Specialist from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business reflect her dedication to fostering positive change and growth within educational institutions. Throughout her career, Mrs. West has been instrumental in mentoring teachers and administrators, shaping aspiring educational leaders, while empowering them to succeed as Assistant Principals and Principals within the Cincinnati Public School District. Her influence extends beyond the walls of her school, as she actively facilitates professional development for educators and administrators across various districts.
Under Mrs. West’s transformative leadership, Hays-Porter School embarked on an extraordinary journey, evolving from one of the district’s lowest performing urban schools into a model of academic excellence within the Cincinnati Public School District. Her visionary strategies and unwavering commitment to educational advancement were key to the remarkable turnaround at Hays-Porter School. Mrs. West’s innovative approach to education, coupled with her dedication to each student’s success, led to a significant shift in the school’s academic trajectory. Implementing comprehensive reforms and fostering a culture of high expectations, Mrs. West introduced initiatives focused on academic growth, student engagement, and personalized learning. Through strategic planning, tailored interventions, and student-centered methodologies, she and her team instilled a renewed sense of purpose and academic rigor within the school community.
Under her guidance, teachers were provided with targeted support and professional development opportunities, enhancing instructional practices and aligning the curriculum to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Mrs. West’s hands-on leadership style and relentless dedication inspired both educators and students alike to strive for excellence.
Recently, Hays-Porter School achieved a remarkable 4-star rating on the Ohio State Report Card, standing out among 44 elementary schools in the Cincinnati Public School District. Hays-Porter School was one of only three schools to receive a 4 or higher on both their overall report card rating and on their Early Literacy rating. Hays-Porter School not only excelled in their overall performance rating on the Ohio State Report Card, but they also excelled in Early Literacy, Progress, and Gap Closing. This achievement underscores Mrs. West’s visionary leadership and collaborative spirit.
The transformation of the school into one of the districts higher-performing urban schools within the Cincinnati Public School District stands as a testament to Mrs. West’s visionary leadership, collaborative approach, and steady commitment to educational excellence. By fostering a positive learning environment while emphasizing teamwork and individualized support, they have guided countless students towards achieving their fullest potential, ensuring a bright and promising future for all.
Mrs. West is enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve and help other educators to inspire, cultivate and ignite learning that will positively impact the lives of children. As an educational consultant, she is eager to share her expertise and help other educators encourage, motivate and support the needs of the whole child by improving and fostering their academic, social, and emotional growth. Together, we can empower students to achieve their fullest potential and instill a lifelong love of learning.
Vicki Graves-Hill, M.Ed.
Vicki Graves- Hill is a seasoned educational leader with over 30 years in the education field with 22 years as a school administrator. Ms. Graves -Hill is currently the Director of Strategic Planning in the Cincinnati Public School District. In this position, she brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and a deep commitment to educational excellence. She began her career as a teacher within Cincinnati Public Schools, where she taught students in grades 2-6 before being promoted to Assistant Principal at North Fairmount Elementary. After two impactful years, Ms. Graves-Hill joined the district's Instructional Support Team, where she collaborated with principals on data analysis, master scheduling, rubric development, instructional rounds, implementing best practices and much more.
In 2005, Ms. Graves-Hill became the Principal of Roll Hill School where she served for 19 years. While serving as the principal, Ms. Graves-Hill developed a passion for school turn-around. During this time, Ms. Graves-Hill received several awards and accolades including the 2023 Cincinnati Rotary Club, Principal of the Year. She has been positively featured on several local news channels and newspaper articles. However, becoming a credentialed Turn-Around Specialist by the University of Virginia Darden School of Business is how she began her journey with school improvement. Under her leadership, Roll Hill continuously received awards in categories such as Increased Value Added, Increased Performance Index and Best use of Data. Under her leadership, Roll Hill School consistently made improvements on the state report card indicators. In 2010, Roll Hill School began to see a positive change in school data and student outcomes. Ms. Graves-Hill and the dynamic team of teachers were able to get Roll Hill School out of Academic Emergency. Roll Hill School was no longer an underachieving inner-city school but became a model Turn-Around School. Other schools from across the state visited Roll Hill School in search of Turn-Around strategies. Over the years, Roll Hill School consistently stayed out of Academic Emergency and continued to make gains and maintained a 3-star rating. The most recent gain was during the 2023-2024 school year. During this time, Roll Hill maintained a 3 -star rating but also had an increase to 4 stars in Early Literacy on the Ohio State Report Card. Under her leadership, Roll Hill successfully remained out of state emergency status for 14 years. Ms. Graves-Hill has a proven track record of fostering community partnerships and empowering school teams to drive sustained improvement.
Throughout her career, she has mentored aspiring administrators. She led an Assistant Principal cohort which resulted in all 10 of them being promoted to the principalship. She also facilitated professional development that focused on the different components of school improvement for teachers and school leaders in Cincinnati and other districts within Ohio.
Ms. Graves-Hill holds a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati, along with administrative credentials from Cincinnati’s Xavier University. Her strong academic background equips her with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within education allowing her to offer tailored, evidence -based solutions that drives student achievement.
Ms. Graves-Hill’s passion lies in empowering instructional leaders to enhance their strategies, ensuring that more schools experience growth and success for their students. As an educational consultant, she is dedicated to sharing her expertise to inspire transformative change in educational practices.
Ms. Graves-Hill is eager to support educators in inspiring, motivating, and cultivating the next generation of students. Her focus is on helping them become innovative while enhancing their academic, social, and emotional development. With a deep commitment to improving the whole child, Ms. Graves-Hill aims to empower educators with the strategies and tools needed to foster well-rounded growth in every student. Together, we can create enriching learning environments that nurture the potential of each child and prepare them for a successful future.
Dr. Alesia Smith
Dr. Alesia Smith is a proven transformational leader in K-12 education. Currently, she is the Deputy Superintendent in the Cincinnati Public School District which is the 3rd largest school district in the state of Ohio. She is the former Deputy Superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) in Little Rock, Arkansas where she was responsible for leading the supervision and development of all school leaders; learning services; and federal programs. Prior to that she served as the Chief Academic Officer for Pine Bluff School District in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In this role, she led all low performing schools based on state identified criteria. As the Deputy Superintendent for Cincinnati Public Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, Smith leads the instructional development of all elementary schools, supervises principal leadership support, and works closely with curriculum teams to collaborate, align, and design appropriate supports, coaching, and professional development. With a track record of teaching and leadership experience, she has a combined total of 30 years of dedicated service to education.
Dr. Smith’s credentials are highly commendable. She is a School Turn-Around Specialist accredited from the University of Virginia. She earned her undergraduate degree from Central State University and obtained a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Xavier University. She received her Doctor of Education in Leadership and Management from Capella University. Dr. Smith is an experienced administrator and educator dedicated to enthusiastic and dynamic instruction that rigorously challenges students to continually meet and exceed academic standards. Prior to moving into school leadership, Smith attained 10 years teaching experience at the elementary, middle and high school level. Since that time, she has held various leadership roles including Assistant Principal, Principal, Principal Coach, District Shepherd, Chief School Improvement Officer, District School Improvement Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction and the Chief of Schools.
As a principal of an inner-city school in her hometown of Cincinnati, OH, Dr. Smith accomplished the ultimate achievement in school turn-around work. She transformed Rothenberg Preparatory Academy -- in just two years -- from one of the 5,000 worst schools in the nation and amongst the lowest 5 percent in Ohio into a thriving educational community.
During Smith’s tenure as Chief Academic Officer for Pine Bluff School District in Arkansas, she led the charge of moving two of her four schools from F to C and the remaining schools improved one letter grade. She also saw the removal of two schools off the Academic Distress List and was recognized as one of the Top Five Educators in the nation in 2017. While in the role as Deputy Superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District, 70% of the 24 schools experienced an increase in their ESSA Index Score. Two of the 24 schools improved by a letter grade with two others less than 0.5 percent from the next letter grade. Four schools under her leadership have also been nationally recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) for regional and statewide growth on the ACT Aspire test. Based on the 2022 ACT-Aspire data: PCSSD outgrew the state in all tested categories; English, Reading, Science, and Mathematics. Based on the data from the 2022 ACT Aspire, PCSSD gained 8% district growth in mathematics, a rate more than 4 times higher than the state average. Based on the 2021 ACT-Aspire data, PCSSD has the number one elementary school within the state. As of today, in at least one grade-level in mathematics, 8 elementary schools scored in the top 20% achievement, 6 scored in the top 10%. As of November 2023, 5 of the schools listed above are now on the US News and World Report as one of the best schools in Arkansas.
As Chief of Schools, Dr. Smith played a pivotal role in driving academic growth across the School District. Every school demonstrated improvement in one or more areas on the Ohio State Assessment, including reading, math, science, history, and graduation rates. On the 2022-2023 state report card, an impressive 63% (27 out of 43) of elementary schools earned a 3, 4, or 5-star overall rating, while 74% (31 out of 42) received similar ratings in Progress. Additionally, 60% of the tested accountability areas—12 out of 20—showed measurable growth.
Now, serving as Deputy Superintendent of Schools in the Cincinnati Public School District, Dr. Smith has continued to lead the charge for academic excellence. Under her leadership, the district's elementary schools increased performance in 8 of the 9 tested areas, with academic gains ranging from 2% to 10%, while maintaining steady performance in other tested areas during the 2023-2024 school year.
Dr. Alesia Smith is ready, willing, and eager to collaborate with educators to ignite a passion for academic achievement and growth. Her commitment to fostering a brighter future for our children drives her to share her expertise and insights. By working together, we can create dynamic learning environments that inspire students and empower them to reach their full potential. As a true trailblazer, Dr. Smith is committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement as a principal’s coach and a motivational speaker, she inspires commitment to positive behaviors and innovative instructional strategies that empower all students to succeed. Her intentional efforts ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically and personally, making a lasting impact on the district’s educational landscape. Dr. Smith’s leadership and dedication are instrumental in shaping the next generation of learners, ensuring they thrive in an ever-evolving world.