Snell has spent over 30 years in education and served as the Liberty Hill ISD superintendent for over six years. The Houston native received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Texas Tech University and landed his first teaching job in Amarillo.
Snell’s last day at LHISD has not yet been determined, an LHISD official said. While a formal swear-in date to become county judge is uncertain, Snell said officials are trying to get that done “as quickly as possible.”
The board of trustees’ next meeting is scheduled for April 7, where members will discuss Snell’s transition plan and steps for selecting the next superintendent, the official said. The LHISD board of trustees will release Snell from his contract to allow him to serve as county judge, an official said.
Community Impact sat down with Snell to discuss his plans before leaving LHISD and goals as the next county judge.
You’ve had a long career in education. What sparked your interest in that field?
[I] always wanted to be an educator, always wanted to be a principal, always wanted to be a superintendent [for] as long as I can remember. That was the career path I planned for. I was very fortunate, not only to get the jobs, but to get great jobs and work under great leaders and help craft my leadership. Now, as a leader, I'm blessed to have great people working with me that just help make Liberty Hill a great district.
What made you apply for the vacant Williamson County judge position?
I've got 31 years in education, and I'm to the point in my life where I was asking ‘What's next?’ When you live a purpose driven life, it's hard just to step away. I was looking for something where I could continue to serve and grow and help people. When this door opened, I explored the opportunity, talked to some people and talked to the family, prayed over it, and thought it would be a good fit for the job description versus my skill set that I've developed. [I’m] honored to have the chance to serve the community.
While you’ve been LHISD superintendent, you’ve led the district through two bond elections with over $1 billion in construction projects. How do you think your experience serving as superintendent has prepared you to be county judge?
School districts don't move as fast as developers, so we really have to stay on top. We get demographic reports quarterly [and] talk to developers almost every day just to see where the houses are going and where we need the schools. Getting the money to build them is one thing, but having a site in an appropriate place—it's also a challenge. I feel that that experience can help me on a larger scale with Williamson County.
Is there anything you hope to accomplish in the district before you depart?
We're in the process of building elementary number eight and the final building for high school number two. ... The two things I would like to do—and it's part of the last bond—is secure a site for high school four ... and secure a site for elementary 10. The best time to buy land is 20 years ago, right? Land has gone up exponentially ... another skill is negotiating with landowners and trying to find land that's affordable because you're purchasing it with taxpayer money, so you've got to be as frugal as possible.
What type of leadership style will you bring to Commissioners Court?
My leadership style is very collaborative. I like to listen, I like to get all the information. I like to get information from as many sources as possible so I can make the best decision possible. I know as county judge, you're running a Commissioner's Court, so you have four other commissioners and we have a large county. Every precinct has its needs. We just need to make sure we can make all those puzzle pieces fit. I'm also very engaging. I'll be out visiting with the department chairs, the elected officials, [to] make sure I understand everything as much as possible before I get in there and try to start making decisions.
Williamson County is undergoing a lot of changes, from leadership changes to the new administration building opening soon. What do you anticipate being the biggest challenge you face during this season of transitioning?
I'll have some small challenges, obviously, in just adjusting to life in the government world, the political world. When I look at Williamson County, you've got growth and you've got water, and all that growth requires county services. I want us to have the best sheriff's department in the state. I want us to be quick with emergency services and effective, and both of those two departments need resources, so we need to make sure they're taken care of as much as possible. [We] need to explore as many grants that are out there ... to see what we can get above and beyond tax revenue to take care of the county needs. And then just working with the commissioners on the water and roads and getting up to speed on that and trying to stay ahead. Government just works slower than the developing world, so planning and conversations to keep us in line and lead through that growth as much as possible.
Now that you’re serving Williamson County, what kind of lasting impact do you hope to make during your time here?
That's a really good question. You always want to leave a place better than you found it. I think I've done a really good job leading Liberty Hill through the growth. We've gone from 4,000 students to 10,000, and they're going to double again in the next 10 years. You want to make sure that the things you put in place continue to grow and change as needed—the same with the county. ... Williamson County has a great reputation and is a leader economically in the state. As the torch gets passed to me, I just want to keep that going. Williamson County has a strategic plan. One of the pillars of that plan is high functioning government, and so I really think that's a role I can dig into and help the county be as high functioning as possible so all the other people who make the system work can have a clear lane to do their business.
