The new superintendent of Conroe ISD, Dr. David Vinson, was hired on September 18, 2025, by the School Board Trustees. But he is more than just a high ranking official; from a track star athlete to an amazing teacher to a loving dad and husband, he truly has it all. Yet, there is one thing that makes him truly exceptional—the amount of care he genuinely has for every person in the school community. Whether it’s parents, teachers, students, lunch ladies, bus drivers, principals, or counselors—he has gratitude  for each and every one of them.And yet, if you tell him any of this, he’ll brush it off like it’s no big deal.

 “My stuff isn’t bogged down. It’s really easy. I’m not that smart,” Vinson said.

Dr. Vinson has achieved incredible success, increasing dual credit enrollments by 600% and being named Citizen of the Year in both Wylie and Floresville. But behind those achievements, his personality, humbleness, and passion for what he does—and the warmth he shares with everyone—make him stand out even more. 

A Day in the Life

You can already tell Dr. Vinson loves his job when you hear that he has been working 17-hour days for over 11 years—all with a smile on his face. He starts working at 5 a.m.and finishes around 10 p.m.. He begins his day by answering emails, taking notes, and writing down his goals for the day. Then, he tries to visit at least three schools. The rest of his day is filled with meetings to plan construction projects or discuss bonds, and of course, he ends the day with showing school spirit by attending a football game or another school-related event. Even with a schedule this intense, Dr. Vinson somehow finds joy and balance in it. 

“I love what I do. I go to work in the morning, and I can’t wait to get back tomorrow,” Vinson said.

From Track Star to Teacher

From hearing how passionate Dr. Vinson is about his job, you might think it was his lifelong dream to go into education and become a superintendent one day. But believe it or not, Dr. Vinson didn’t even know what he wanted to do when he was in high school. In fact, he admitted to being a poor student and not very organized. He decided to do track and ended up excelling in it—running the 400 in 47.1 seconds.

 “I was fast, but not fast-fast. I could work hard — that was my thing. 100 meters, about 10.6, not great, but I had work ethic,” Vinson said.

Dr. Vinson earned a scholarship from his track legacy and attended Texas Tech University.

 “That wasn’t really my thing, but I didn’t grow up with money — nobody in my family went to college — so I just went,” Vinson said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I thought, I don’t want to be poor. I mean, it’s a simple thing, right?”

Once in college, Dr. Vinson shifted his mindset away from sports. Surprisingly, he earned his undergraduate degree not in education but in business. In fact, even his first job was completely in that field.

“I interviewed for one company — Frito-Lay,” Vinson said. “I worked in operations and logistics, and made a lot of money. One day I thought to myself, ‘Is this what I want to do with my life?’ I realized what really brought me joy was helping kids at church and youth groups. So I took a massive pay cut and became a teacher — best decision I’ve ever made,” Vinson said.

Rising Through Leadership

So how did Dr. Vinson move up from teacher to superintendent? The truth is, even as a teacher, it was never planned. It all stemmed from his passion for helping people. 

“When I was a teacher, I volunteered for everything because I loved being part of the staff,” Vinson said. “I wrote a grant to rebuild a city park. Then I helped get a stadium built. People started giving me more responsibilities,” Vinson said. “I found ways to help students with limited English proficiency. People noticed and asked me to do more things.”

Then one day, the high school principal in his district left, and they gave him the job. It was completely unexpected to him; he was extremely happy staying a teacher.

“I’d never even been in a high school before that,” Vinson said. “The school was low-performing, and the next year it became exemplary. The people didn’t change — I just listened, helped teachers with what they needed, and helped kids realize they had value.”

Even as principal, Dr. Vinson’s willingness to help others continued to stand out. 

“People just kept calling. My dad told the superintendent I was going to get my certification, even before I said yes,” Vinson said. 

Looking back, Dr. Vinson views his life with humility.

 “I never thought I would be a superintendent. My life is so good — everything just sort of worked out,” Vinson said. “If I could ever encourage anyone, it’s this: care about the place you’re at. That’s why I’m here. I didn’t come here looking for it — the recruiter called me. It was hard to leave my last district after 14 years.”

The Heart of a Leader

Dr. Vinson’s favorite role of all time wasn’t superintendent — it was being an intermediate school principal. 

“Why was it that? Because kids are weird,” Vinson said “You know, it’s the best — because [high schoolers] are tired, and y’all become funny. You just want me to leave you alone, and I get it. You’re too cool, and it’s that. But intermediate kids think I’m funny, they get the joke, and they want to be part of stuff. They’re just mutating in their seats — from fifth grade to sixth grade — and the girls are taller than the boys. It’s the best. They’re all levels of weirdness, and I don’t know, I just… that role had my heart.”

Before coming to Conroe ISD, Dr. Vinson was superintendent at Wylie ISD. When asked why he left, the reason wasn’t even completely related to himself; instead he was thinking of the entire community when making his decision.

 “It wasn’t because I didn’t love it there — I did. But I felt like I’d done what I came to do. The district was strong, the people were ready, and I didn’t want to stay so long that I hurt what we built,” Vinson said.

Dr. Vinson notes that leaving Wiley was the hardest thing that he has ever done. But he strongly believes that the lasting impact made on everyone there was worth it, including his deputy finally getting the deserved position of superintendent.

“When I left Wylie, everyone was proud of who they were and what they did. Everyone felt valued. If you love something, you don’t want to hurt it. That’s why I left Wylie — I wanted the next person to succeed too,” he said.

Vision for Conroe ISD

As superintendent, Dr. Vinson’s goals go far beyond policies and plans. His focus is on people. He strives to increase teacher pay and provide better resources.

 “I take it personal,” Vinson said.

He’s passionate about giving every teacher a laptop and making their jobs easier. Hearing about teachers struggling personally hurts him deeply.When it comes to students, his goal is to identify talent and increase engagement. In fact, he explains one notable example from a high school he worked with in which few kids were actually pushing themselves or trying hard in high school, even though they had the potential to.

“When we started, we had about 45 kids in engineering,” Vinson said. “After we started talking to them about college and showing them that they could actually do it — not just ‘you should go,’ but ‘you can go’ — that number went from 45 to 1100. They started seeing themselves differently. Once they started thinking about college and what degree they wanted to pursue in high school, everything changed. Hope and belief make kids dream bigger.”

He also believes that genuine care from teachers changes everything. Once being a teacher himself, he has seen and experienced these things firsthand.

“Remember when you were in elementary school — even if your teacher didn’t like you, you thought she did?” Vinson said. “That’s why the engagement level is so much higher in elementary. But when you get to junior high, things start to segment, and you start feeling like you’re on your own.”

Advice and Gratitude

After everything, Dr. Vinson remains a wise and humble leader. He has offered great advice to students in high school, whether a freshman, senior, or anywhere in between. 

First he wanted to ensure that kids who were planning to do a job always made sure that they knew what they were getting into.

“Really ask yourself what you want to do. Are you doing it as an excuse to get out of something, or do you really want to? Are you going to sacrifice things to get it done,” Vinson said.

The next piece of advice just comes from his own experience in high school. One he felt like he didn’t take into consideration that much when he was younger, but now when he looks back he realizes just how important it is.

“Make sure to appreciate the people who help you,” Vinson said.

When he was younger, Dr. Vinson said he was nice to people but didn’t always appreciate what others did for him. 

“People are just so nice,” Vinson said. “Like, they don’t have to be — they just are.”

Because of that, Dr. Vinson now makes it a goal to write three gratitude letters a day — to anyone: custodians, bus drivers, teachers, or principals.

The People Who Shaped Him

The first person Dr. Vinson mentioned that his greatest influence was his dad. 

“He was never educated, but he sacrificed so much so that I could do things,” Vinson said.

Another great influence was a teacher named Becky Fuel, who inspired the principles of respect and responsibility that he uses today in the Wylie Way Day. 

“She wanted everyone to be able to be who they are,” Vinson said.

Even today, Dr. Vinson continues to learn from everyone around him. To him, every person has their own wisdom and something to contribute, regardless of their position or job.

“I’ve learned from long-term custodians, bus drivers, teachers — everyone. You can learn from anybody if you just take the time,” Vinson said.

A Superhero in Disguise

Dr. Vinson is truly a superhero — one who finds joy in helping others not for recognition, but because he genuinely cares. He works 85-hour weeks with a smile on his face, still makes time for his family, responds to every email whether from a student, teacher, or parent within 24 hours, runs marathons, and sparing time from his super busy schedule to allow aspiring journalists to interview him, answering each question genuinely with abundant enthusiasm. While others make a big show of their accomplishments, he simply does what he loves —sincerely, and wholeheartedly.

However, unlike super heroes he doesn’t wear a cape and he can’t fly (or maybe he does…) and the biggest difference:

“I don’t want buildings or schools named after me. I just hope I leave an impact wherever I go,” Vinson said.