Ex-St. Louis Public Schools superintendent now consulting

Former St. Louis Public Schools superintendent starts new career

Blythe Bernhard
Nov 25, 2024
Nov 25, 2024
0

Superintendent Scarlett Inducted — Keisha Scarlett cracks a smile during her first board meeting as the 35th superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School at the 1000 block of North Jefferson Street in St. Louis. Scarlett, the first African American woman to hold the position, succeeded Kelvin Adams after the district’s board held a nationwide search. Photo by Arthur H. Trickett-Wile, atrickett-wile@post-dispatch.com
Arthur H. Trickett-Wile, Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The former superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools who remains under investigation by the district has started a new career as an entrepreneur.

Keisha Scarlett said Monday she is the founder and CEO of Woven Consulting, . Her location on the networking site is still listed as St. Louis, and her post is accompanied by a photo of her posing downtown on North 11th Street with the Thomas Eagleton Federal Courthouse in the background.

Scarlett, 50, was fired in September after serving one year as superintendent of SLPS amid questions about her spending and hiring practices, including jobs and contracts for more than a dozen colleagues connected to her previous job with Seattle Public Schools.

鈥淛ust as my superintendent journey started with courage and faith, my journey as an entrepreneur begins with the same,鈥� Scarlett wrote online. 鈥淭his new venture is an opportunity to live out my core values 鈥� authenticity, faith, and joy 鈥� while continuing to make an impact.鈥�

Woven, which she spells in capital letters with a backward 鈥淓,鈥� is a business consulting firm and 鈥淵our trust partner in cultivating leadership excellence, fostering innovation, and driving meaningful change,鈥� according to its . No record of a company with that name was listed online Monday by either the 榴莲视频 or Washington offices of the secretary of state.

Scarlett said leading SLPS 鈥渨as one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my life. I loved being a superintendent. To me, it鈥檚 the greatest job on the planet.鈥�

A third-party investigation of Scarlett鈥檚 tenure is expected to wrap up by Dec. 10, a district spokesman said Friday after a closed session school board meeting.

Scarlett has said she plans to sue SLPS for wrongful termination in part because the school board has blocked her from defending herself.

The board responded last week with a statement saying they will 鈥渧igorously defend the careful and meticulous process it undertook to place Dr. Scarlett on leave with pay, to investigate the allegations against her, and to reach the decision to terminate her employment.鈥�