Daniel McAlister is relentlessly pursuing personal development — from the degrees he earns to the books he reads — all to lead him to this exact moment: a Fort Worth ISD graduate taking over Como Success Academy to make a hub for community education.

Mr. McAlister will start this year at the new Como Success Academy, a building he knows well since he was the former principal of Como Montessori School. He also served as an AP at Polytechnic High School and taught at Trimble Tech High School, where he was the science department chair.

In the last three years, Principal McAlister worked as a principal in residence with the Office of Innovation and a coordinator in the Division of Transformation and Accountability.

Now, he’s eager to take all his knowledge back to the campus and serve a school and community close to his heart.

Mr. McAlister was born and raised in Fort Worth, he is a graduate of Western Hills High School and attended Como Montessori for elementary school. His bachelor of science in biology is from the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He also has a master of science in biomedical engineering and a principal certification from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Although his mother spent her career in Fort Worth ISD as a teacher and administrator, she encouraged Mr. McAlister to pursue other paths. When Principal McAlister finished grad school during a recession, he took a teaching job with no intent of making it his career — heeding his mother’s warnings.

Then, he met the students.

“I wanted to reach students and inspire them to pursue and achieve more, but I realized I was struggling to make that happen,” Mr. McAlister said. “So, I worked hard and sought out more training for myself and more opportunities for my students. I became determined to be the best version of myself as an educator in relentless pursuit of excellence for my students. Somewhere along that often rocky and unpredictable path, I realized education is where I was meant to be.”

He started investing more in his students and professional development. He read books on educational leadership like “The Secret to Transformational Leadership” by Dr. Quintin Shepherd.

“Transforming lives through innovation and hard work is at the core of my being,” he said.

Now, he is prepared to return to a campus he loves to change the lives of students. But Como Success Academy has the potential to transform the neighborhood too — and Principal McAlister intends to do just that.

The campus will serve as an educational hub for the community hyper-focused on pathways to high-wage, high-demand jobs along with academic and workforce support for both students and the community.

“I am dedicated to honoring the history and legacy of this campus and this community while transforming this campus into an educational hub for the community that meets the needs and expectations of the immediate community and the city at large,” Principal McAlister said.