Alexina Medley, decade-long Principal/CEO of Warren Easton Charter High School, to Retire

Alexina Medley, education leader, charter advocate and much-loved Principal/CEO of Warren Easton Charter High School, is retiring after a 12-year tenure as head of the “A” rated high school, one of the first high schools in New Orleans to open for families after the 2005 hurricanes and levee failures. 

With over 40 years working in education as a Special Education teacher and administrator, Mrs. Medley will leave a lasting impression on Warren Easton, her beloved students and staff, and Louisiana charter schools.  

She served as President of the Greater New Orleans Collaborative from 2014-16, and was a previous GNOCCS board member, helping other public schools reopen and rebuild while the New Orleans Public School System was shuttered or recovering.

Warren Easton, the oldest public high school in the state, re-opened in September 2006 after Katrina under the new leadership of Ms. Medley. Nearly 95 percent of Easton’s student population lost their homes and Easton sustained five feet of water that remained in the school building, filling it with mold. Ms. Medley worked tirelessly with the Easton Alumni Association, teachers, administrators, students and parents to reopen Warren Easton as an open-admissions, public charter high school and an anchor in the Mid-City community.

Under her guidance, Warren Easton was has continuously improved its test scores and graduation rates while decreasing drop-outs. Her reputation as a compassionate, tough and generous leader is proven in the retention of her dedicated staff, said GNOCCS Director Ken Ducote.

"Working for Mrs. Medley at Warren Easton was an amazing experience for me,” said Alnita W. Porea, Principal, Mary D. Coghill Elementary.  "Ms. Medley allowed me time to rediscover who I was as an educator. She was so poised and gave me exactly what I needed to step out and be a leader. I am thankful for my time with her and my Easton memories. She is an amazing educator and mentor."

Ms. Medley says her philosophy has always been “to teach the kids we have; not those we would like to have, or those we used to have…but those we have right now. ALL of them.”

As proof of her incomparable energy and experience, her duties will be divided into three positions.  Warren Easton Charter Board President David Garland said, “We are thankful for the legacy Mrs. Medley has achieved at Easton. She has been a tireless, irreplaceable leader and will be greatly missed. However, she leaves the school in the excellent hands of a team trained by her, and we will carry on as Warren Easton always does.”

Although Medley’s last day is January 30, she will still be available to the school to help with the transition for the remainder of the academic year.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Ms. Medley began her career as a Special Education teacher at Beauregard Junior High. She first came to work at Easton 31 years ago as a teacher and she became an assistant principal in 1995 before leaving to take over as principal at Thurgood Marshall School. She worked at the Orleans School System’s Central Office, where she headed the High School Reform Program.

Ms. Medley received a Bachelor of Arts from Xavier University, and while at Xavier completed a Masters of Education with a major in Educational Administration and Supervision. She is certified as Principal, Supervisor of Student Teaching, and Secondary Special Education.

She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  She is currently a fellow with the School Leadership Center of New Orleans and serves on numerous public education boards and committees.