The Okaloosa County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to appoint Dr. Donna Kelley as principal of Pineview School, the district’s first new school construction since 2008.

• Kelley, who currently serves as principal of Northwood Elementary School, will assume her new role effective Jan. 5, 2026. The appointment comes as the district prepares to open the new K-8 campus in Crestview, which will serve approximately 900 students and be known as the Pineview Bears with purple and white school colors.

“We have not started a new school since about 2008,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “So this is a monumental moment for the school district.”

Kelley brings more than three decades of K-12 educational experience to the position. She has led Northwood Elementary since 2013, following 14 years of leadership at Owens Cross Roads School in Madison County, Alabama.

The principal was recognized last week as one of 43 exemplary principals nationwide to receive the 2025 National Distinguished Principal award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Kelley joined fellow honorees in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 23-24 for two days of celebration, reflection and collaboration. The program culminated with an awards banquet at The Willard InterContinental.

• Since 1984, the NAESP National Distinguished Principal program has recognized public and private school principals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, foster academic excellence and build meaningful partnerships with families and communities. Each state’s NAESP affiliate selects its honoree.

Kelley was also named Okaloosa’s elementary principal of the year in both 2023 and 2025. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University and other degrees from Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

“I am deeply, deeply grateful to the entire board for entrusting me with the principalship of Pineview School,” Kelley said after the 5-0 vote. “I also want to thank the Northwood community, my Northwood family, for the years of support, learning, and partnership that has shaped me as an educator and a leader.”

Kelley acknowledged the bittersweet nature of leaving Northwood but expressed excitement about her new role.

• “I’m excited by the opportunity to help create a new family and a shared vision at Pineview,” she said. “My commitment to students, staff, and families is wholehearted. I pledge to you now that I’ll give 100% to build a safe, inclusive, and high achieving school where every child can thrive.”

In the press release announcing Kelley’s national award, Chambers praised her leadership.

“Dr. Kelley exemplifies what it means to be a servant leader,” Chambers said. “Her passion for students, her dedication to excellence, and her unwavering commitment to building a positive school culture are second to none.”

School Board Member Linda Evanchyk, who made the motion to appoint Dr. Kelley, said she was “thrilled” to be part of this historic moment for the school district, and for Dr. Kelley.

• “Dr. Kelley is an accomplished educator and administrator who will do a great job leading this school,” she told Get The Coast. “I am eager to support her any way I can as the board member for Pineview.”

The new Pineview School is being built on 49 acres west of the new Crestview Bypass and will have capacity for 1,200 students. Construction remains on schedule, with all foundations complete and structural framing underway. The school will have 450 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and 450 in sixth through eighth grade when it opens.

The district selected bears as the mascot after the animal was “overwhelmingly the favorite” when district employees were surveyed, according to Assistant Superintendent Grant Meyer. For the elementary side of the campus, the school will use paw prints and Cubs as part of the branding. The purple and white color scheme was chosen because the district doesn’t currently use purple at any other schools.

Kelley closed her remarks with a quote: “Be like a bear – strong enough to stand alone, yet wise enough to work together.”