ABILENE, Texas — The Abilene Independent School District has named an interim superintendent who will take the district's reins when current superintendent Dr. David Young retires.
The district announced Monday that its board of trustees selected Dr. James M. Largent to serve as the interim superintendent upon Young’s transition to emeritus superintendency in January 2024.
Largent has 21 years of superintendent experience and 31 years of service in Texas public schools. He is currently the founder and CEO of Largent Consulting, LLC, and works in that capacity to support schools and corporate partners in executive searches and superintendent mentorship.
Young, who will officially retire from nine years with AISD June 30, said he believes in Largent’s ability to lead the district as the board completes a search for the next full-time superintendent.
“Dr. Largent is a veteran Texas school leader with a statewide track record of success,” Young said. “I am certain the Abilene ISD community will benefit greatly from his steady and professional leadership while our Board completes the superintendent search process.”
Prior to founding his consulting firm in 2018, Largent served as superintendent of schools in Granbury, Rusk and Chireno ISDs. He also twice served as interim superintendent for New Braunfels ISD. His experience includes more than a decade of service as a high school principal, assistant principal, head coach, athletic trainer and teacher.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to express our confidence in Dr. Largent’s leadership experience and administrative skills,” Abilene ISD board president, Daryl Zeller, said. “We are excited to have Dr. Largent on our team as we work diligently to select the best candidate to lead AISD into a bright future.”
In addition to his career as an educator and administrator, Largent has served Texas students and communities as a leader for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Texas Association of Mid-Sized Schools (TAMS) and Texas Association of Community Schools (TACS). He was a member of the governing board of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and prior chairman for the Granbury Chamber of Commerce and Lake Granbury Medical Center. A four-time nominee for Superintendent of the Year in Regions 7 and 11, Largent was presented with the Key to the City of Granbury in 2018 and awarded an honorary life membership from TASA in 2019.
“I am excited to get to work with AISD’s students, staff, and school board in the spring,” Largent said. “I have a lot of respect for Dr. Young and the job he has done for the past nine years in the district. My goal will be to provide support to the staff and students and continue the great work happening in Abilene ISD schools, while providing a smooth transition between Dr. Young and the next superintendent of AISD.”
Largent holds a doctoral degree in education from Sam Houston State University and a superintendent certification from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He also completed a master’s degree in educational administration at SHSU and a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Lamar University. He is the author of Leading in Chaos: A Commonsense Blueprint for New and Aspiring School Leaders, a 2022 Amazon bestseller.
The board will be assisted by the district’s law firm, Leasor Crass, P.C., throughout the search for the next AISD superintendent of schools and expects to announce a lone finalist for the position later in the spring.
