Dr. Sean Doherty served as the Superintendent of the School District of Clayton in Saint Louis, MO, until 2021. Dr. Doherty earned his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Master of Arts in Elementary Administration. His roots in education started in the 1990s at the Missouri Botanical Garden where he worked for their Education Department. From there he began his career in public education at Webster Groves School District as a third grade teacher. He then moved to Parkway School District, where he served as a teacher, an assistant principal and eventually as the principal.
In 2010, Doherty moved to the School District of Clayton as the principal of Captain Elementary. He later became the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Clayton Schools. Doherty was appointed as Superintendent in 2016, after serving as interim Superintendent during the 2015-2016 school year.
Doherty has focused on empowerment of learners, educational equity, and modeling the importance of a growth mindset as the lead learner of the district. Doherty has served as a consultant for schools and districts in building capacity around leadership development, systems-thinking and strategic planning.
In 2022, he returned to the Missouri Botanical Garden serving as Vice President for Education – moving the Garden’s mission forward through learning.