Dr. Susannah Holbert O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools

On July 30, 2024, Dr. Susannah Holbert O’Bara made history when the Denton ISD Board of School Trustees named her the first female Superintendent of Schools in the district’s 142-year history. A lifelong Denton resident, Dr. O’Bara has spent the entirety of her decorated career that spans more than three decades in Denton ISD. 

A student at Borman Elementary and Calhoun Junior High (now Middle), and a graduate of Denton High School, Dr. O’Bara joined Denton ISD in 1992 as a teacher at Ginnings Elementary. She served more than seven years as a classroom educator, working at Wilson (now Shultz) Elementary and Ginnings Elementary before moving to be an inaugural member of the McMath Middle School staff.

Dr. O’Bara’s first leadership opportunity was to serve as an assistant principal of Ginnings Elementary for six years. After serving one year as the assistant principal of Hawk Elementary, she accepted the principalship of the campus, a role she held for almost a decade. In 2013, Dr. O’Bara was named a finalist for the Texas National Distinguished Principal Award, and during that time she earned a reputation for being a leader of teachers.

In 2015, she served as the first Area Superintendent of Academic Programs for the Guyer High Zone, expanding her leadership and acumen of secondary education. In addition, she supervised the district’s Health Services and Fine Arts Departments.

As an Area Superintendent, Dr. O’Bara collaborated with district and campus leaders to refocus and energize efforts to ensure all Denton ISD graduates are prepared for college, career and life. In addition, she also developed Denton ISD’s leadership profile, which serves to identify and build on various traits the district seeks in members of its leadership team. 

In 2021, Dr. O’Bara was elevated to lead the Academic Programs Division, where she oversaw the academic programs and operations of all of Denton ISD’s campuses. Just two years later in 2023, Dr. O’Bara was named Deputy Superintendent, where she oversaw curriculum, instruction, staff development and academic programs for the entire district. 

Dr. O’Bara’s instructional acumen has led to her becoming one of the most sought-after assessment leaders in the region. She has worked in various states to develop and implement sustaining assessment practices that garner student success through achievement. 

As the district grows at an unprecedented rate, Dr. O’Bara’s wealth of local experience has continued to propel Denton ISD forward. Dr. O’Bara helped design and establish a vision for new elementary schools built in the district – along with High School No. 5 – which will be built in the town of Cross Roads as a result of the 2023 bond referendum. 

Dr. O’Bara received her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of North Texas and her master's degree in educational leadership from Texas Woman's University. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of North Texas in the Spring of 2023.

Dr. O’Bara is the mother of two Denton ISD alumni, Grant and Grayson, who each graduated from Guyer High School. Grant is a graduate of Texas Tech University and currently works at an architectural firm, while Grayson attends Ivy-League Dartmouth College.