On Monday, Austin ISD's Board of Trustees approved a new principal appointment at Austin High School and new appointments to the roles of associate superintendent for high schools and executive director of construction management.

Austin High School Principal

Amy Taylor was selected as the new principal of Austin High, having most recently served as principal of Small Middle School in Southwest Austin.

In this role, she facilitated the Small Green Tech Academy initiative, implemented Project Lead the Way national STEM curriculum and led the school to earn recognitions by the Texas Education Agency, National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Department of Education.

She previously served as assistant principal at both Stony Point and McNeil high schools in

Round Rock ISD and taught math at Chisholm Trail Middle School in Round Rock ISD. 

Taylor has a master's degree in educational administration from Texas State University and a bachelor of science degree in education from the University of the Southwest in New Mexico. 

She volunteers with Mobile Loaves and Fishes and the Texas SPCA. She also is active in the arts in Austin with the Austin Symphony, the Blanton Museum of Art and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Associate Superintendent for High Schools

Kathy Ryan was appointed to oversee 17 Austin ISD high school campuses and athletics. 

Ryan most recently served as interim associate superintendent for high schools where she was responsible for school operations, teaching and learning for all AISD high schools.

She led initiatives to raise overall attendance rates, implemented additional communications strategies among the high schools team and added monitoring methods for campus performance.

She previously served as principal at Lanier High School and taught math and language arts at Cueller Middle School in Weslaco ISD. 

Ryan has a master's degree in reading from University of Texas-Pan American and a bachelor of science degree in middle grades education from Columbus State University in Georgia. 

She is an avid reader and enjoys movies and traveling in her free time. 

Executive Director of Construction Management

Robert Hengst was appointed as executive director of construction management for the district.

Hengst most recently worked as the manager of engineering and construction for the City of Austin Department of Aviation.

In this role, he was responsible for the capital and tenant improvement programs at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

He emphasized and increased participation in partnerships with small, minority and women-owned businesses and led an aggressive program that aimed to increase sustainability on all projects.

He previously served as facilities manager at the University of Texas and assistant facilities director at Washington State University.

Hengst has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University Texas at Austin and his work in concrete watertight structures and hazardous liquid containment has been published by the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

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AISD is the fifth-largest school district in Texas, serving approximately 85,000 students at 129 schools. Follow AISD on Twitter at @AustinISD or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/austinisd.