Administration
Shanelle Smith, Principal
Shanelle Smith is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and an alumna of Lincoln College Preparatory Academy. After high school, she attended Fisk University in Nashville, TN where she double-majored in Business Management and Political Science. In 2003, she graduated with both Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. After attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law for a short time, personal tragedy struck. Now tasked with supporting her younger siblings, Shanelle went to work at the Full Employment Council serving as a Career Development Executive in the Youth Opportunity program. This is where she found her love for educating young people in her community, which later led to her attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she earned a Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction, followed by an Education Specialist degree in Superintendency and School Leadership from Webster University. Throughout her career, Mrs. Smith has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, curriculum coordinator, assistant principal, online teacher, adjunct instructor, and, now, Principal. Mrs. Smith is also the Founder and President of HBCU Walking Billboard, a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of, attendance to, and graduation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Presently, she resides in Kansas City with her husband, Darnell; their two sons, Kaleb and Micah; and their dog, Marlo.
Seth Oldham, Vice Principal
Seth Oldham (he/him/his) is an alumni of Friends University, graduating in 2012 with degrees in Spanish and Spanish Education. Oldham taught two years at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School before moving to Kansas State University to pursue a degree in Second Language Acquisition with a concentration in pedagogy. After receiving his Master’s in 2016, he began teaching IB Spanish at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, a position he held for four years. In 2019, while teaching at LCPA, he earned his Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration. Shortly after, he became Lincoln’s Instructional Coach and pursued rigorous urban education leadership training through the UMKC Plus program. Mr. Oldham now serves as an assistant principal at Lincoln and is excited to continue working with staff, families and community partners to continue the tradition of excellence at LCPA. In his free time, he enjoys running, weight lifting, baking, gardening, and spending time with his fiancé, Scott.
Dr. Bryan Shaw, Vice Principal
Bryan A. Shaw is a graduate of the Kansas City Missouri School District, and an alumnus of Lincoln University of Missouri where he majored in Social Science Education. He obtained his master’s degree in Educational Administration from UMKC. He has completed his Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Saint Louis University. He has been with Kansas City Public Schools for 20 years. During his time at KCPS he has served as a teacher and an administrator. He has 4 children, Bryanna, a middle school teacher in New Orleans, Bryan Jr., a pharmacy school student, Bryce, a 6th grader, and Brock, a 1st grader.
Katherine Zeeck, Vice Principal
Katie Zeeck (she/her/hers) is a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA in English), University of Southern California (MA in Education) and Northwest Missouri State University (Ed. S in Leadership). Before getting into administration, Mrs. Zeeck taught 12th grade English, AP Literature and AP Language for 10 years. She also spent two years as an Instructional Coach. Mrs. Zeeck now serves as the assistant principal at LCPA. Mrs. Zeeck is passionate about instruction, urban education, and making sure students have a safe place to learn. When not at LCPA, you can find Mrs. Zeeck chasing her two children outside, running around Loose Park, or watching a comedy with her husband, Phil.
Takia Steele, Dean of Culture & Climate | Athletic Director
Takia Steele is a Kansas City, Missouri, native. Ms. Steele graduated from Grandview Senior High School. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in elementary education before moving on to obtain her master's degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in educational leadership and policy analysis, also earning her Building-Level K–12 Administrator Certification. Before joining the LCPA family, Ms. Steele has worked within KCPS for the past five years, starting off as a College and Career Resource Specialist, moving on to become a classroom teacher, teaching fifth grade as well as first grade, before transitioning to the high school setting as a Graduation Coach. Ms. Steele's passion is advocating for, protecting, and educating children. Outside of school, Ms. Steele enjoys spending time with family and traveling.