Dr. Deanna McClendon will be the next director of schools for Monroe County.
John Ridgell, who serves on the Monroe County School Board, confirmed they had elected McClendon Thursday night during a special board meeting.
The vote came shortly after reports of her being under investigation from her former school district.
Former Shelby Co. Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson said the investigation regards anonymous complaints about McClendon that started rolling in after she refused to make hires suggested by board members and other employees.
Hopson still described McClendon as a strong leader.
McClendon maintains she did nothing wrong and said when you’re in a position of leadership, especially over small children and finances, every allegation should be taken seriously.
She addressed the concerns of Monroe County residents at a forum on Monday night in Madisonville.
"I've not done anything that I shouldn't have done," said McClendon. "It is just a process in the district where I currently am employed to make sure that if anyone writes any sort of a letter that we do our due diligence to investigate. Young children are involved and you need to always, I'm going to always make sure and support that we stand up for children."
McClendon was elected over two other finalists for the position, Dr. Phillip Swanson and Mr. Robert Hooper.
She had previously worked with Shelby County Schools, where she was the Director of Early Childhood Education.
The current school director, Tim Blankenship, is set to end his term on June 30.
The board voted not to renew his contract in March. Blankenship said there were no hard feelings, saying he appreciated the opportunity to serve Monroe County for the past five years.