Most Vicksburg residents know Christi Kilroy as the former executive director of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, but at the beginning of the summer she took on a new role in the school district.

Kilroy is the new communications director and media specialist for the Vicksburg Warren School District.

After spending a few years working in Jackson for the Mississippi Economic Council as the vice president of policy and research, Kilroy decided to come back to Vicksburg.

“I just saw an opportunity to come back and a lot of great things are going on in the Vicksburg Warren School District, and I think the story needs to be told,” she said.

Kilroy’s job entails a lot of different responsibilities like being a media contact, updating social media and the district website, and working with the district’s print shop and television station.

“In a real broad stroke, it’s to disseminate information to our students, parents, internal communications and with a secondary of focusing on the positive stories that are out there, some of these new things that are happening,” she said, adding it is important for the community to know what is happening in the school district and to get that information out accurately and in a timely manner.

Superintendent Chad Shealy said her position is more than just writing press releases and answering phone calls.

“She’s really a conduit to make sure people have information,” Shealy said, adding communication can be an organization’s greatest advocate or worst hindrance, which makes the position vital to the school district.

“She’s working all the time,” he said. “She’s great in the fact that she’s able to identify problems and put forth strategies for us to meet those goals.”

Kilroy is currently working to collect all the pertinent back to school information— like school supply list, orientations and back to school nights— and releasing it to families in the school system.

One of the things Kilroy is most excited about is the idea of the school district becoming a leadership district through the Leader in Me initiative, which is something she helped bring to the district when she was at the chamber.

She said she has a deep understanding of the program and what is possible by using the program.

“I wanted to be a part of the ongoing and exciting programs that are coming to the school district,” she said. “I have a passion for Leader In Me.”

Even with her past experience, Kilroy said she has so much to learn when it comes to her new position.

She has two children who are students in the school district, and she said she is getting more excited about her job every day.