In 2023, Denise Watts was “looking for a marriage.” Not in the literal sense, but professionally. She was looking for a place to call home. Somewhere where she could plant her feet and inspire transformation in the hopes of elevating the next generation of students. It was in the summer of 2023 that she would stumble across Savannah, Ga., where she would begin her journey as the superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools in June 2023, her first superintendent job ever.

“It took me more than 20 years to figure out that this was even a role I’d be interested in pursuing,” says Watts. “For many years I had convinced myself that I didn’t want to be a superintendent.”

Within the last year, obviously, her thoughts had changed. But Watts didn’t simply want to be a superintendent. She wanted to lead in a place where she “matched.”