NATCHEZ — A new head of school has been named at Trinity Episcopal Day School, and the new leader said she is here to stay.

Trinity’s school board announced Christina Ferrell Daugherty’s appointment Tuesday evening to parents and alumni.

Dr. Charlotte Franklin, who served more than 40 years in local public schools, was named as the assistant to the head of school — a position Daugherty had held — and director of guidance services.

“I am very excited about the future of Trinity,” Daugherty said. “Myself, Dr. (Charlotte Franklin) and other prospects, we are going to show Trinity we are committed to the campus and will make things happen.”

Daugherty follows Interim Head of School the Rev. Paul Anderson after former headmaster Les Hegwood stepped down in May to pursue a career as an Episcopal priest. Hegwood, a Jackson native, was hired in 2012 at a time when four people had been at the helm of the school over a three-year period.

Daugherty, whose children have attended Trinity since she and her family moved back to her hometown, said she is committed to the school.

Daugherty has been an attorney for 16 years and is giving up her legal practice to pursue a new calling.

“I intend to be here for as long as the staff and board will have me,” she said. “Since I have been here, the teachers and the students have been amazing.

“Once I started working with them, I knew this is where I wanted to be.”

A little more than one month ago, Daugherty stepped down from the Trinity Board of Directors to serve as the assistant to the head of school.

Board chair Michael Blattner said as the school was going through a regional and national search process, Daugherty mentioned to the board she was interested in serving as head of school.

“We have figured out that we are best served when somebody from the community is driving the school, and we haven’t had that in quite some time,” Blattner said. “Christina brings a tremendous amount of management skills and administration skills with her law background.”

While volunteering for the board of directors and with the school, Daugherty said she fell in love with Trinity.

“I think when I stepped down and took the assistant to the head of school role, I wanted to know more about the job and see if it was something I was qualified for,” she said. “After working with Father Paul, it really made me believe in myself that I can fulfill this role.”

In the six weeks she has served in the role, Blattner said he has been impressed.

“I have seen her accomplish more in six weeks than most people do in six months,” he said. “Her skills are in excess of what we ever hoped to have in the position.”

Daugherty said she fell in love with the career of educating children and intends to earn a master’s in the educational leadership field over the coming years.

“My children are here,” she said. “Anything related to the educational advancement of my children and all children makes me excited to come to work.”

Daugherty said when she first moved back to Natchez three years ago, she toured all the schools and settled on Trinity as the best fit for her children.

“I felt like I was part of the family almost immediately when I was brought onto the campus — I love the atmosphere,” she said. “The prep school aspect also drew me in. Education is very important in our family.”

Daugherty said she hopes to improve the offerings at Trinity. The gifted program will be expanded, the campus will make improvements to the athletic facilities and more electives will be added, in particular those that focus on technology.

“We will concentrate on technology,” she said. “We will add more classes like programming.”

Daugherty said she plans to institute a capital campaign to improve the football field by improving the bleachers and constructing a field house near The Pit. Daugherty would also like to build a baseball stadium.

Daugherty said she recruited Franklin to serve in the guidance role for students, but also to help advise her. Franklin, who started Tuesday, said she has been retired for three years, but she has been interested in returning to the education field, particularly in a private school.

“All the teachers have been wonderful and this is a great place to be,” she said. “It’s very well organized. I am looking forward to being here and helping to make a difference.”

Blattner and Daugherty said they both wanted to thank Anderson, who has agreed to remain until the winter break to help the transition.

“We owe a great deal of thanks to what he has done holding the reins for us,” Blattner said. “Father Paul came in from out of town and has done a wonderful job.”