Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the Aldine Independent School District. Since taking the helm in July 2018, Dr. Goffney has dedicated herself to over 60,000 students and nearly 9,000 employees of the district as well as the entire Aldine community.

Under her leadership, Aldine ISD has developed new initiatives to offer students more academic options. Her commitment to equity and increasing student access to high-quality schools saw results within her first year as superintendent. The district increased the number of ‘A’ and ‘B’ schools and made gains in closing gaps. In 2020, Aldine ISD made the College Board’s AP® Honor Roll for the first time.

She began her career as a teacher in Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD in 1999 before eventually leading COCISD as superintendent from 2008-2013. In 2013, she was named Superintendent of Lufkin ISD. In all three districts, Dr. Goffney was the first African American to serve as superintendent.

Dr. Goffney was named Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards in 2017. In 2018, the Texas Association of School Administrators selected her as the Texas Superintendent of the Year and the nominee for the AASA National Superintendent of the Year award. In 2019, AASA named Dr. Goffney a finalist for the 2020 Women in Education Award. In fall 2019, Sam Houston State University presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Goffney is active in professional organizations including the Texas Urban Council of Superintendents, the Texas Association of Black School Educators, the Texas Council of Women School Executives, and she will be the first African American female to serve as president of the Texas Association of School Administrators. Dr. Goffney is also a member of the selective bipartisan organization Chiefs for Change, which is a network of school leaders from across the nation. She serves her community as a proud member of The Texas Spring Cypress Chapter of The Links, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., Omicron Tau Omega Chapter, and the Greater Houston Partnership Board of Directors. She is also an associate member of The Woodlands Chapter of Jack and Jill of America.

During the summer of 2020, Dr. Goffney worked to reimagine how the district would prepare for students’ return to school. As the COVID-19 numbers increased in the Houston area, media such as MSNBC, CNN, and CBS News invited Dr. Goffney as a guest to discuss the impact of the pandemic on school districts.

A native of Coldspring, Texas, Dr. Goffney is a graduate of Sam Houston State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s in educational administration, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Her husband, Joseph, is an educator and serves as a church pastor.

The Goffneys are the parents of two children, Joslyn and the late Joseph Jr., who passed away in 2019.