Bradford told Fox56 he has deep ties to Fayette County with a strong two-decade-long background in education, including in the classroom. He taught at Lafayette High School and holds a degree from Transylvania University.
Bradford told the news outlet he understands the assignment any future FCPS superintendent would face and feels confident he could lead the district out of a tumultuous era.
"The city of Lexington and Fayette County (are) looking for us to rebound from what the headlines have been thus far and not just headlines, what the reality has been to date, and so I want to really be able to help navigate through what has been a current bruise and... showcase that we've learned lessons, we've applied changes, and (that) we're really moving forward in a new direction," he said.
It's a tall order as the district remains in the red amid an ongoing state audit and a battered reputation among parents and the community.
Immediately after the school board accepted former superintendent Demetrius Liggins' retirement and Bradford's promotion to the interim job in August, one of the district's most vocal critics, Matthew Vied, commented on the hunt for Liggins' permanent replacement.
"I don't think we need to do a big nationwide search. I think we have a lot of talent here. The problem is that... there's a certain stain on the talent in this building because the proximity to Liggins and the proximity to that decision-making process," he told WUKY.
Still, Vied said that doesn't mean no one in the FCPS administration is qualified or could earn the trust of skeptical parents.
In the meantime, the search process is only getting underway. The district just named the members of its superintendent's screening committee on Friday.