Kelly E. Middleton has over thirty years of experience in public education and is currently Superintendent of Newport Independent Schools in Northern Kentucky. Kelly has a diverse background as an educator, serving in the role of teacher, coach, administrator and university professor. Kelly has served as a principal at every school level. When Kelly moved from school principal to district office, one of his job responsibilities was public relations. This title and job responsibility would completely alter his entire career.

 

Kelly has co-authored two books. The first, Who Cares? Improving Public Schools Through Relationships and Customer Service, published in 2007, introduces school administrators to the idea that customer service concepts from the business world can be used successfully in public education to build quality relationships with students. 

 

The second, and Simply The Best: 29 Things Students Say the Best Teachers Do Around Relationships, (2010), focuses directly on teachers and how they can best build relationships with students. Using both empirical research and original studies/surveys of students, this book lays out the most important factors for teachers to understand and work toward in order to shape build trusting, open relationships in the classroom.

 

In 2018, Kelly released his third book, titled, Competing for Kids: 21 Customer Service Concepts from Top Companies that Public Schools Can Use to Attract and Retain Students. This book provides public schools strategies to compete for students. In the next decade, schools who fail to treat students and parents as valuable customers will become extinct.

 

His next book, Feed Our Students Well: 18 Customer Service Concepts for Public School Food Service, was published in 2020. Using the concepts from his previous book, Feed Our Students Well explains how school leaders and food service personnel can work together to create an optimal dining experience for students in the one department that is dedicated to fulfilling kids' basic needs.

 

The follow-up book, Public School Gatekeepers: The Customer Service-Driven School Office Professional, published in 2021, continues his series of customer service books for each department in public schools. In this quick reference guide, Kelly shares useful tips for front office workers who want to deliver A+ customer service to their students.

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Kelly's next book took a slight deviation from his theme. Finding out he had ADHD in adulthood led him to write a book of personal reflections and advice for those who struggle to harness the hidden powers behind ADHD. Triumph in Turmoil: How I Embraced My ADHD Superpowers to Game the System (2024), focuses on turning "symptoms" into "strengths." Kelly uses anecdotal evidence to show how he was able to thrive with ADHD in his personal, professional, and family life.

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His latest book, School Bus Drivers Who Care: 20 Customer Service Tips to Improve Student-Driver Relationships, released in 2025, goes back to his series of customer service books for public schools. This time, focusing on school bus drivers, a group Kelly believes gets lost in the shuffle when schools think about how well they deliver customer service. Kelly again uses tried and trusted methods from the business world to show how he has been able to help bus drivers to create strong, caring relationships with students. 

 

Kelly has also authored numerous articles focusing on customer service and on building relationships in Public Schools.

 

Kelly has presented many times at The National School Boards Conference, the National School Public Relations Conference and he conducts customer service staff development for all job descriptions in schools throughout the United States.