Born into a family of Camden educators, Katrina McCombs grew up knowing the power of education in transforming one’s life or improving one’s circumstances. After attending Mickle School, Bonsall Elementary School, Cooper’s Poynt Family School, and Hatch Middle School, McCombs graduated from Camden High School in 1987. She attended Lehigh University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral and Neurosciences, before returning to Camden to work as an early childhood educator. After two years in the classroom, McCombs returned to higher education to better equip herself with the psychological and mental health skills necessary to support students who come to school having experienced trauma. She received both her MA and MAEd. in psychological counseling at Teachers College, Columbia University, and became a child therapist. She used her counseling skills to support students as a group therapist and middle school English teacher. She quickly moved up the ranks at Lanning Square Elementary School, from grade level chair to literacy coach, site facilitator, vice principal, and finally principal, a role she served until 2012. Armed with a Masters of Public Administration in educational leadership from Rutgers University, McCombs left Lanning Square to serve as Director of the District’s Early Childhood Department. In this role, she led Camden’s record levels of pre-k enrollment, and supported the quality of early childhood education by investing in critical training for pre-k providers and early childhood educators. After serving three years as Deputy Superintendent of Schools from 2014 to 2017, and a year as Acting State Superintendent in 2018, McCombs was appointed as State District Superintendent of the Camden City School District in April 2019. Superintendent McCombs is a 30-year educator. She has seen the Camden City School District from multiple angles over these three decades, including as a teacher, a principal, the Director of the Early Childhood Department, the Deputy Superintendent, and now, Superintendent. Under her leadership, CCSD has received nearly $500 million dollars toward school facility projects and celebrated the opening of the new Camden High School while keeping the $133
million construction of the new high school on track, despite the pandemic. Under Superintendent McCombs, the District also launched a gifted and talented program for students across the district, provided every K-12 student in Camden with a laptop to facilitate remote learning during the pandemic, provided hundreds of meals to families during the pandemic—preparing 25,000 meals per week with 16 pick locations and a delivery option. As a result, Camden City School District earned the #1 spot in meals served out of the 240 districts in its region. McCombs’s leadership also led to the facilitation of the renaming of Woodrow Wilson High School to Eastside High, which will take effect in the 2022-2023 school year. McCombs executed the initial launch of the Welcome Center at the Veterans Memorial School, through the Labor Management Collaborative with the Department of Education and in partnership with the New Jersey Education Association and the Camden Education Association. McCombs’ leadership continues to open doors for Camden City schools and its students and she continues to build relationships that foster positive results on behalf of Camden’s children.