The Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees made history in November when Tiffanie N. Harrison was chosen by her fellow trustees as the next board president—making her the first Black leader of our board in the district’s history. 

A former teacher and student at Round Rock High School, Harrison said she’s no stranger to being the first. 

“Throughout my life, I’m used to being first in a lot of settings,” she said. “I attended Fern Bluff the first year it opened in first grade. I was the first Black colonel of the Dragonettes.”

Harrison said she has many feelings about her election as the board’s first Black president. 

“I hope this is an opening for people to do what they need to do to serve our district in the future,” she said. “It feels sad that it’s taken this long. But I also think that it’s hopeful. I want other community members to think that there is access for them. I want students to feel that way, too, that nothing is off limits to them.”

Roots in Round Rock

Harrison’s family moved to the area for the schools when she was in first grade—”We ended up here because of the schools, same story as today.” In addition to Fern Bluff and Round Rock High School, Harrison also attended Chisholm Trail Middle School. 

After graduation, she attended Baylor University in Waco for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She earned her bachelor of science degree in education, human health, performance and recreation and her Master’s of Business Administration with a concentration in finance and marketing.

“I didn’t set out to be a teacher, but it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said. “I taught marketing at Round Rock High School for eight and a half years and was the assistant director of the Dragonettes. My favorite thing to do was choreograph the school musicals every year.”

Harrison said she’s proud that her students opened the Dragon Print Shop and helped create the Dragon Nation branding that’s still used today.

Currently in her fifth year on the board, Harrison said that, as a teacher, she never had aspirations for political office. 

“Absolutely not,” she said, laughing. “I never had any intention to run for office. I’m not a career politician … but I attended a lot of board meetings, and I realized that the more important decisions were being made after midnight. I wanted teachers to have a voice.”

Looking forward

Harrison, who serves as the co-CEO of a local nonprofit,  said she is deeply thankful for the work of previous board presidents. 

“I appreciate the leadership styles that have come before me. Trustees Landrum and Weir did a lot of heavy lifting in the past four years through Covid, through a lot of unrest. They really held the ship steady, and part of me wanted to give her [Landrum] a break and give us a fresh start,” she said.

She said she hopes to be able to streamline and shorten the board’s monthly public meetings to help the community follow along and provide input, and to create more ways for students and teachers to share feedback. 

“We’re in a really tough time in public education, and that creates an us vs. them [dynamic],” she said. “We really have an opportunity to be united as a district. How do we bring that unity back? We’re here to serve students. How do we continue to be leaders?”

Harrison’s deep commitment to the district is evident when she looks to the future. 

“I have a lot of hope for what we can do. I think we can recenter and refocus, and there’s probably repair we can do to rebuild trust. I think the people of Round Rock believe in our schools and in public education. I feel like the future is bright for Round Rock ISD. “