By KATIE MCDOWELL/General Manager

COLUMBIANA – Valley Intermediate School Principal Dana Payne Martin was approved as the Shelby County School System’s School Improvement/Federal Programs Supervisor during the Shelby County Board of Education’s Jan. 23 meeting.

Martin thanked the board and administration when accepting the job, as well as the staff and administration and Valley Intermediate.

“I want to say thank you for 29 wonderful and blessed years in Shelby County,” she said.

Her pervious experience includes serving as assistant principal at Valley Elementary and teaching at Inverness Elementary. She said her first job was team teaching with current Shelby County Board of Education member Jane Hampton in 1985.

Martin received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s degree in educational administration from Samford University.