Valley Oaks Principal Will Serve As TEPSA Region 4 President-Elect

Gary Henry, principal at Valley Oaks Elementary School in Spring Branch ISD, will serve this school year as Region 4 President-Elect for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA).

He was installed along with several other TEPSA officers during the association’s July Leadership Conference. TEPSA, which has operated since 1917, helps school leaders learn along with and from each other. Member owned and operated, it has over 5,800 members who oversee the activities of 3 million Texas school children in prekindergarten through eighth grade.

“Regional officers like Principal Henry are committed to building membership, leadership capacity and supporting TEPSA members at the local level. They all play a critical role in TEPSA’s continued success,” reports TEPSA’s Executive Director, Harley Eckhart.

Principal Henry has previously served on TEPSA’s Membership, Marketing and Public Relations Committee. He’s also president of the UH College of Education Alumni Association.

A University of Houston graduate, Mr. Henry has served 22 years in education, including 14 years as Valley Oaks Elementary principal. He taught and was an assistant principal in Alvin ISD before joining SBISD as the assistant principal with Rummel Creek Elementary.

Valley Oaks Elementary reflects his education heart and soul. “My most rewarding accomplishment is seeing 13 groups of fifth-graders move on to middle school,” he said. “I’m very proud of the great staff we have assembled at Valley Oaks to meet the needs of students and our community. Here, we focus on preparing children for tomorrow.” 

He earned his master’s degree in education from UH-Clear Lake, and he currently is working on his doctorate, also through UH. As principal at Valley Oaks, he was among 100 educators selected in 2007 to attend the Leadership Forum at Harvard University.

In addition, he’s earned a business certificate through the popular Rice University REEP program for educators, and he holds a Superintendent’s Certification. He is also president of the UH College of Education Alumni Association.

When not at Valley Oaks Elementary, Mr. Henry and his wife are the busy parents of two boys, three dogs and a parakeet. “They keep all of us on our toes,” he quips.