North Gwinnett News

During a meeting on January 16, 2025, the Gwinnett County Board of Education approved Chi Ethridge as the new principal of Cooper Elementary School. Ethridge is currently the Director of Special Education in the Division of Teaching and Learning. She will replace Paul Willis, who is retiring.

Ethridge's career with Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) began in 2022 when she took on her current role. Prior to this, she served as Assistant Principal at Rock Springs Elementary School from 2019 to 2022 and was a teacher at Creekland Middle School from 2018 to 2019.

Before joining GCPS, Ethridge held several positions within the Chippewa Hills School District in Michigan. She was a middle school principal from 2012 to 2018 and an elementary school principal from 2006 to 2012. Her earlier roles included assistant principal and teacher within the same district, along with teaching positions at Midland Public Schools and Hazel Park Schools in Michigan.

Ethridge holds a bachelor's degree in Special Education and a master's degree in Educational Administration from Central Michigan University. She also earned a specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Saginaw Valley State University.

She is an alumna of the Quality-Plus Leader Academy's Aspiring Principal Program, Cohort 16, completed in 2023, and was part of Cohort 11 of the Aspiring Leader Program in 2020.