Q&A with Regina Nixon

Get to Know Our New Head of Lower School Regina Nixon

Dr. Regina Nixon officially began her tenure as the new Head of Lower School on July 1, 2020. Dr. Nixon is an experienced teacher and independent school administrator, with thirteen years of experience working in a broad range of positions. Since 2018, she has served as the Assistant Head of Middle School at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, Massachusetts.

Dr. Nixon has also worked at Nashoba Brooks as the Director of Admission for three years, Director of Educational Technology and Innovation for two years, and Instructional Technologist for one year. Nixon began her career as a secondgrade teacher in Farmville, North Carolina. She received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania this spring.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your path before coming to Cannon.

A: I think one of the things that I feel is always important for people to know is that I’m an educator first, and that’s how I always identify, no matter what title I’ve held these last few years. I started my career down here in North Carolina, teaching in Pitt County Schools, so now it feels like I’m coming back home. Someone once said to me when I was teaching second grade,

‘You should step outside of the classroom and consider administration.’ And I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? I can’t leave the students.’ They said something that sticks with me to this day, and that was, ‘Think about how many more students you could impact if you step into a position of leadership or administration.’

Q: Can you share a bit of your philosophy in regard to Lower School education?

A: I think that we can never underestimate the impact that we have on our youngest students, and also the impact they have on us, and that fuels me every day. When kids ask me what I do, I would say that the Lower School is in charge of me. That’s something that’s so great—that the educator and leader in me gets to learn so much in this position.

Q: Our junior kindergarten and kindergarten programs at Cannon are really special. What do you love in particular about those grade levels?

A: Oh, my goodness! Their curiosity, their honesty, their authenticity. Those younger grades are pivotal years, and it’s also where they learn and establish kindness, and all the core values we talk about at Cannon. You can see it in the most authentic form in those grades.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in regard to being part of the Cannon community?

A: So, I was just talking to a parent about how much she loves the tagline ‘You Belong Here,’ and I said, ‘That is one of the things that has stood out to me about

Cannon from the beginning of this whole process.’

I’ve already felt it, and I look forward to sharing it and expressing it. I am just so proud to be able to say I’m a part of this school, and I’m really looking forward to what I can learn from Cannon and what I can give it as well.