The Affton School District will welcome a new assistant superintendent to the team this summer: educator and administrator Cassandra Walker Suggs. 

Suggs’ appointment was approved at the March 4 Board of Education meeting, and she will officially step into the role July 1. She currently serves as the director of educational equity & access for Rockwood School District.

“She’s had leadership experience at the building level — as an assistant principal, a principal — but also she’s established herself as a district administrator,” Affton superintendent Travis Bracht said. “It’s extremely important to have that experience.”

Suggs has spent nearly 20 years in the education sector, including two years as the head principal of Wildwood Middle School. She earned her doctorate of education from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and recently earned an Executive Juris Doctorate from Purdue Global Law School, where she graduated with the highest GPA in her class. 

According to Bracht, educational equity, accessibility and student success are consistently at the forefront of Suggs’ mind. In past roles, she devised plans and strove to make school facilities accessible for students of all abilities — something Bracht aims to bring to the Affton School District with her expertise. 

“You can really tell that she is a champion for all students,” Bracht said. “If there’s anything getting in the way of a student’s learning, she is going to work with teachers, administrators, parents and kids to make sure we address that.”

Suggs will take up the mantle left vacant by her predecessor, Chris Daughtry, who left the district in January to immediately fill a superintendent position in Indiana. 

“This opportunity fills me with excitement as I look forward to working alongside the incredible students, dedicated staff and engaged community members who make Affton such a special place,” Suggs stated in a news release.