From student to educational leader walking the halls of Lincoln-Madison 

Rockell Williams Stewart once walked the halls of Lincoln High School as class president and Student Council leader. Today, she walks those same halls and others in the Lincoln-Madison vertical team, as another kind of leader—an executive director. She is the living embodiment of dreams achieved while propelling a community forward.  

From a young age, Stewart knew she wanted to be a teacher, and one day, a principal. Even as a student at John Henry Brown Elementary School, later renamed Billy E. Dade Elementary School, her leadership potential was clear to teachers and peers. 

At Brown Elementary, she discovered a love for motivational speaking, sparked by reciting Honey I Love and Other Poems by Elise Greenfield, a book celebrating the simple joys of everyday life through the eyes of a child. Her principal, Wilber Williams, would select her to recite the poem for campus guests.

“Everything has come full circle,” she said. “I can think back to principals who have influenced my life, starting with Selena Dorsey, former principal of John Henry Elementary, who would always remind us: ‘Don’t let your circumstances define you. You define your circumstances.’”  

Those uplifting words, Stewart said, guided her toward a life of impact. As a student at Lincoln High School, her principal prepared her and her classmates to be high achievers.  

“I am often reminded of the ways I never grew up feeling the reality that my zip code had one of the highest crime and poverty rates in the city of Dallas,” she said. “I never really felt that because I grew up rich in family and in community.” 

Her personal drive, paired with that strong foundation of support, has led her to more than 20 years as an educator. Holding close to the lessons from principals and teachers before her, Stewart is carrying on their invaluable influence. 

Stewart began her career as a reading teacher at Pearl C. Anderson Elementary School, where she taught for 12 years. Her ability to improve student reading levels and inspire growth set her on a path to school leadership.  

After the school closed, Stewart became an academic facilitator, and later, assistant principal, at Billy E. Dade Middle School. She also served as principal of what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy and returned to Dade in 2018, helping both schools achieve B ratings from the Texas Education Agency. 

At both schools, she maintained the district’s number one ranked campus for positive climate and culture.

“ED Stewart leads with love,” said Ellyn Favors, parent specialist at Lincoln High School. “One thing that has stuck with me about her leadership is that she would always say: everyone is essential.” 

As a principal, Stewart implemented house systems, celebrated student success, and created structures that built unity and pride across the campus. 

These improvements were only the beginning of a series of campus turnarounds that she and other educators and administrators would help lead, culminating in today’s success, with all seven schools in the Lincoln-Madison vertical team earning B ratings and focusing on future As.  

“I was a teacher when she was an assistant principal at Dade Middle School,” said Lance Williams, principal of Lincoln High School. “Being under Stewart’s leadership inspired me to be a better teacher. Now, she’s an executive director, and I’m a principal. Things continue to come full circle for all of us.” 

In her current post, Stewart maintains high visibility in each of the schools across the vertical team by visiting classrooms, celebrating teachers, setting yearly themes, and creating fun affirmative chants that motivate students. 

With a vital presence in the South Dallas community, she continues to build relationships, foster partnerships, and guide her team of principals with intention and care.  

Stewart, who has earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Prairie View A&M University, is not stopping in her own educational journey and is now pursuing a doctoral degree at Southern Methodist University. 

From early memories of teachers who instilled professionalism and confidence to now leading with those same values, Stewart embodies the meaning of a Dallas ISD living legacy.  

“She has had an impact across every level,” said Williams. “But for her, it started as a student in this very community.”