Several districts have installed new superintendents as students prepare to head back to school.
Buffalo Public Schools has named Pascal Mubenga as its next superintendent. Mubenga served as superintendent of Durham Public Schools in North Carolina from 2017 to 2024 and Franklin County Public Schools from 2015 to 2017.
The board of one of New York’s largest districts credited Mubenga for building a career “marked by continuous growth” and his experience leading large and diverse districts.
Don McPherson is returning to the superintendency after several years in the private sector and time spent teaching math. McPherson, who previously led Coffee County Public Schools in Alabama, was named the next leader of Fayette County Public Schools in Tennessee.
In Texas, Brandon Enos was chosen to lead the Gunter Independent School District. Enos is the superintendent of Cushing ISD and was formerly an administrator in Goliad ISD.
In Illinois, Superintendent Ehren Jarrett will move to Hononegah Community High School District 207 in July 2026, when he steps down after more than a decade leading the Rockford Public School District 205.
Superintendent Al Lewis has taken the helm of New Jersey’s Glassboro Public Schools after having led the Weymouth Township School District since 2022.
More new hires
- Ryan Burgess, Earle School District (Arkansas)
- Emily Harvey, Panama Central School District (New York)
- Jillann Shupp, Southern Columbia Area School District (Pennsylvania)
- Ryan Sikorski, Westfield Academy & Central School (New York)
- Sean Wightman, North Huron School District (Michigan)
- Brandon T. Williams, Crisp County Schools (Georgia)
Funding freeze: $5.5 billion in frozen funds released by Trump administration
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(LAST UPDATE: July 16) Superintendent Andraé Townsel is taking the helm at Hartford Public Schools in Connecticut after having led Maryland’s Calvert County Public Schools since 2022.
Townsel, who is credited with lifting Calvert County Public Schools’ ranking to fourth in the state, was also superintendent of Michigan’s Benton Harbor Area Schools from 2020 to 2022. His signature motto is “Set the bar. Meet the bar. Exceed the bar. Raise the bar!”
Also in Connecticut, Superintendent Erica Forti is moving to Weston Public Schools after having led East Haven Public Schools for eight years.
More from DA: This new model could dramatically reduce teacher turnover
Next door in New York, Lauren Crisman, currently the superintendent of the Fort Plain Central School District, was chosen to lead the Mount Markham Central School District.
The Pleasanton Unified School District in California promoted interim superintendent Maurice Ghysels to the spot. Ghysels previously led the Mountain View Whisman School District and the Menlo Park City School District.
Also in California, Riverside USD selected its new superintendent, Sonia Llamas, who is now the chief academic officer and associate superintendent of educational and student services at the Orange County Department of Education. She has also been an administrator at Santa Ana USD, Los Angeles USD and Pasadena USD.
In Rhode Island, Portsmouth School Department Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy has been appointed to lead East Greenwich Public Schools. In Texas, Donna Hale has been tapped to lead Bowie ISD. Hale is the assistant superintendent at Perryton ISD and previously led Miami ISD.
Garrick Askew was named superintendent of Georgia’s Dothan City Schools. He is the assistant superintendent of operations at Clarke County Schools and was previously an administrator in the Paulding County School District, both in Georgia.
More new hires
- Jason B. Conaway, Monroe County Schools (West Virginia)
- Jason P. Evangelist, Camden Central School District (New York)
- Cheryl Gonzalez, Mill River Unified Union School District (Vermont)
- Simone Griffin, Benton Harbor Area Schools (Michigan)
- Martin Grimm, Maine Regional School Unit 21 (Maine)
- Heather Lyon, Lyndonville Central School District (New York)
- Greg Milbrand, Lower Dauphin School District (Pennsylvania)
- William Pender, Rosemont Elementary School District #78 (Illinois)
- Keith Pomeroy, Delaware City Schools (Ohio)
- Clay Vinyard, Skiatook Public Schools (Oklahoma)
- Travis Wilder, Corbin Independent Schools (Kentucky)
