From left to right: Charity Aaron, named Executive Director of Engagement and Partnerships; Ben Chambers, named Director of Communication; and Neil Ruby, named Director of Fine Arts for the 2026-27 school year at Carroll County Schools.
The Carroll County Board of Education approved leadership appointments Monday that complete incoming Superintendent Dr. Jessica Ainsworth’s executive team and strengthen the district’s focus on communication, partnerships, and community engagement ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
During the board’s regular work session, Ainsworth recommended changes to create stronger alignment between strategic planning, community partnerships, customer service, and district internal and external communication. The changes are designed to support the district’s long-term goals while enhancing engagement with students, families, employees, and community stakeholders..
“As we move into the new school year, leaders across the district are focusing on connections that build collaboration, elevate customer service, and strengthen partnerships,” Ainsworth said. “With this action, the board has approved structural changes that better align our staff around that strategy.”
Executive Director of Engagement and Partnerships
Charity Aaron has been named Executive Director of Engagement and Partnerships to focus on planning and executing the district’s strategic vision while continuing to support school leaders in sustaining a premier brand across all campuses. She will continue to lead the Carroll County Schools Performing Arts Center and the 24Strong Educational Foundation while serving on the Superintendent’s Executive Cabinet.
“Today’s school systems must do more than educate students,” Ainsworth said. “They must actively engage families, build community trust, create meaningful partnerships, and communicate with transparency. Elevating this work to the executive cabinet reflects its importance to our future.”
Aaron joined the Carroll County School System in 2017 as director of partnerships and communication, tasked with leading marketing efforts to establish the district as a premier school system. Throughout her tenure, Aaron has been instrumental in building a cohesive brand identity, expanding the district’s digital marketing footprint, and empowering local schools with effective campaign strategies. Her leadership has also guided numerous new facility branding projects, renovations, and the cultivation of robust business and community partnerships. Recognizing the district’s growing needs, Aaron expanded her department in 2022 by securing Board support to add Communications Specialist Ben Chambers to the team.
In addition to her communication role, Aaron has served as the director of the Carroll County Schools Performing Arts Center since its inception – a post she will continue. Under her guidance, the facility has grown exponentially, hosting hundreds of school, district, and community events annually. The venue’s success has been recognized multiple times as the Times-Georgian’s Reader’s Choice Best Community Music Venue. The CCSPAC begins its 10th year of operations this fall.
A champion for student success, Aaron founded the 24Strong Educational Foundation in 2024. The 501(c)(3) organization supports STEM, literacy, and future-focused initiatives through student scholarships, teacher grants, and experiential field trips. With a five-member board of directors representing each school cluster, Aaron has led fundraising efforts that generated more than $1.6 million dollars in just two years.
Aaron is a 2002 graduate of the University of West Georgia where she earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a minor in business management. She has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles in the areas of sales, marketing, and communications. Prior to joining Carroll County Schools, she served as vice president of marketing for a regional bank. Aaron has served in a variety of volunteer roles in the community and is currently on the board of directors for Carroll County CASA as well as an ambassador for the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. She resides in Carroll County with her husband, Mike, and their daughter.
“I am deeply honored to be part of the Carroll County Schools family and to help further our purpose of positively changing lives. My passion has always been serving others, and thanks to a dedicated team and strong leadership, we have extraordinary momentum as we prepare for the upcoming school year and beyond,” Aaron said. “What excites me the most about this new role is being more involved in vision casting and seeking innovative ways to ensure that our schools prioritize competitive and customized opportunities for students and unique ways for our community to connect with our 24STRONG family.”
Director of Communication
Ben Chambers has been named Director of Communication, with responsibility for internal and external communication, media relations, and community engagement. Chambers will continue to manage the district’s digital content and serve as public information officer in coordination with the district’s safety and security team.
Chambers joined the district in 2022 as communication specialist with a charge to bring clarity and alignment to the district’s multi-platform communication strategy. Chambers led efforts to provide district-wide access to online graphic design tools with consistent brand standards, logos and templates for each school. Under his guidance, the district successfully migrated its web presence to an intuitive, user-centric design with modern, cloud-based content management.
Last year, Chambers was instrumental in creating and launching the district’s Performance Dashboard, an online resource to share specific academic, financial, operational and engagement data with internal and external stakeholders. The Dashboard combines the power of Qualtrics databases, the clarity of custom graphics and charts, and the content management system of the district website into a hybrid tool that shares results across multiple metrics, systems and platforms.
Chambers has nearly 25 years of experience locally in communication and public service. He previously served as Director of Public Relations and Information at West Georgia Technical College. He has past experience on the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the executive committee for Partners Advancing Student Success. Chambers holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Shorter College, GEMA certification as a public information officer, and FEMA training on incident command and emergency management for higher education. He lives in Bowdon with his wife, Allison, and two daughters.
“I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the last four years, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue elevating the standard and increasing the capacity of people across our district to genuinely connect with students, parents, community members, and each other,” Chambers said. “I am thrilled to put my skills and experience to work sharing the stories of student success, professional excellence, and authentic connection that make Carroll County a leader, both far and near.”
Ainsworth said the district’s connection strategy emphasizes the importance of customer service and genuine care for people, be they students, parents, community members or other employees of the school system. She said her leadership team is united around these priorities as the next step in building a premier school system.
“Over four years ago, the district recognized we needed additional expertise to carry out our communication strategy with parents and families, community partners and our own faculty and staff,” Ainsworth said. “Charity and Ben have worked together since that time to enhance and refine our strategy while implementing a number of new tools, initiatives and events that have made a measurable difference.”
Ainsworth said this year’s perception survey results show six-point improvement in the number of parents who strongly agree that their child’s school effectively communicates with them.
“Every interaction with our district should reflect professionalism, responsiveness, and genuine care,” she said. “Strengthening communication and partnerships helps ensure families feel connected, informed, and valued.”
Director of Fine Arts
Neil Ruby, who joined the district office in 2022 after a storied career as Director of Bands at Central High School, has been named Director of Fine Arts, an elevation of his current post as Fine Arts Coordinator.
Ruby plays a critical role in recruiting, hiring, and supporting band directors, chorus directors, art teachers, and elementary music teachers across the district. He creates essential alignment through coordinated professional learning and opportunities for collaborative planning.
Ruby has over 30 years of experience as a music educator, including 24 at Central. During his tenure, CHS bands won a record 53 Grand Championships and earned superior ratings at every Georgia Music Educators event for 24 consecutive years.
Ruby is heavily involved in the Georgia Music Educators Association, where he served as President from 2023 until 2025 and continues to serve on the executive committee as immediate Past President. He holds a bachelor’s in music education from the University of West Georgia and a master’s in music education from Vandercook College of Music.
“It has been an honor and a blessing to advocate for and serve the fine arts in Carroll County over the last four years,” Ruby said. “I am excited to continue working alongside our incredible fine arts teachers and their remarkably talented students. Together, we will build on our successes and continue elevating the arts in Carroll County and beyond.”
Aaron, Chambers, and Ruby begin their new roles July 1. The district also announced two new assistant principals for next year. Current Roopville Elementary School Assistant Principal Rachel Herman will be moving to Bowdon Elementary as a second AP for the school. Current Roopville Elementary School Instructional Coach Megan Foster will be replacing Herman as Assistant Principal at Roopville.
