Patton Furman has been named by the Shelby County Board of Education as the principal of New Direction. Currently, Furman is the Assistant Principal of Oak Mountain High School.  She also serves as an instructor for Alabama State Department of Education’s ACCESS distance learning for the University of Alabama.

Furman earned a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in French from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also earned her certification in Educational Leadership and is currently working on her Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.