Saginaw Public Schools is proud to spotlight newly appointed Executive Principal Michelle Karp, a transformational leader whose career spans more than a decade of turning vision into impact across school communities in both Michigan and Arizona.
Michelle previously served as Principal of Loomis Math, Science & Technology Academy, where she spent six years cultivating a high-performing culture of purpose, equity, and shared accountability. Prior to that, she was a turnaround administrator trained through the University of Virginia's Turnaround Leadership Program, working in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education to reimagine student outcomes in high-need schools.
Now serving as Executive Principal, Michelle mentors leaders across the district, aligns instructional systems, and supports sustained growth across campuses. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in empowering others—teachers, students, and families alike—and creating environments where voice, agency, and excellence thrive.
At Loomis, her implementation of structured systems like Power Hour—focused on intentional, targeted instruction—helped accelerate student growth while reinforcing belief in every learner’s potential. Her work exemplifies what it means to close opportunity and expectation gaps through systems thinking and human connection.
Michelle is a passionate advocate, a builder of frameworks, and a leader who believes that even 1% growth each day leads to powerful transformation.
Outside of school, she’s a proud wife and mother of two boys. In a future chapter, Michelle dreams of life on a quiet farm, surrounded by grandkids and chickens—but for now, she’s still leading schools forward.