VCU news

By Catherine Brown
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed.D., often runs into former students who tell her that something she told them or a lesson she taught changed their lives. “If you have one of those experiences in your career — just one — you’ve done your job,” she said.

Kay-Wyatt, who earned her Doctor of Education from VCU School of Education in 2014, is now superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools. She oversees a diverse school system that serves more than 16,000 students who come from 119 countries and speak 122 languages.

“Every day,” Kay-Wyatt said, “I ask myself, ‘How can I best serve each student and meet them where they are?’”

To that end, she and her colleagues are building an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome. “The students need to feel healthy, engaged, safe and supported every day that they come onto our campus,” Kay-Wyatt said. “If we can continue to build that culture, we can impact retention and academic success and develop a community built on respect and values.”

Kay-Wyatt became an educator almost 30 years ago. She realized her business career didn’t fulfill her and earned a master’s degree in special education. She took a position teaching special education at a middle school in Culpeper, Virginia. “The passion started, and the fire was lit,” she said.

She then taught at elementary and high schools in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before becoming an assistant principal, then principal, at a middle school there. While working full time, she earned a doctorate in educational leadership from VCU.

On Oct. 19, Kay-Wyatt will be honored as one of VCU Alumni’s 10 Under 10 Award recipients at a special invitation-only event. The program, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, highlights notable alumni who have earned their first VCU degree within the past 10 years.

This year’s honorees represent eight schools and colleges at VCU and five graduation years; more than half represent communities of color, and seven hold advanced degrees.

In 2018, Kay-Wyatt moved into human resources positions with Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Alexandria City Public Schools. In 2022, she became interim superintendent and, in 2023, was the first Black woman appointed superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools. The same year, she was selected as a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association for her focus on family engagement and communication.

Leading a large school system can present myriad challenges, but Kay-Wyatt stays focused on how she can help her students thrive.

“As a superintendent, you have to advocate for innovation and flexibility and really push for what's best for students,” she said. “You have to keep students at the forefront, no matter what the noise is around you.”

Here are the 2024 10 Under 10 honorees:

Tamara Dias, Ed.D.

2021 Post-Master’s Certificate, School of Education

Katelynn Jarrells

2016 Bachelor of Social Work, School of Social Work

2017 Master of Social Work, School of Social Work

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed.D.

2014 Doctor of Education, School of Education

Dre’mon Miller

2015 Bachelor of Science, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Bryan Portillo

2014 Bachelor of Science, School of Business

Vikhyath Veeramachaneni

2014 Bachelor of Arts, College of Humanities and Sciences

Jordyn Wallenborn, Ph.D.

2017 Doctor of Philosophy, School of Public Health

Grace Whiteside

2017 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Arts

2017 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Arts

Aaron R. Williams

2014 Bachelor of Arts, School of the Arts

2014 Bachelor of Science, College of Humanities and Sciences

Saheem Zaidi, Ph.D.

2014 Doctor of Philosophy, School of Pharmacy