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Districts are filling top spots at a rapid pace

LeadershipPeople to Watch
By: Matt Zalaznick

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Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia has selected Alexandra Estrella as its next superintendent. Estrella is superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut and previously led Community School District Four in East Harlem in the New York City Department of Education.

“Her data-centered leadership reflects the values we hold deeply in Gwinnett, including empathy, excellence, equity and effectiveness,” Gwinnett board chair Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan said in a statement. “Her intellect, integrity, courage and commitment to students position her to help lead Gwinnett County Public Schools forward so every child is seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.”

Andy Crozier was selected to lead Iowa’s Waukee Community School District, the state’s third-largest system. Crozier has led the Central Lee Community School District for 10 years. Joel Bailey, superintendent of the Platte-Geddes School District in South Dakota, has been named the next leader of the Dell Rapids School District.

The Anacortes School District in Washington selected its next leader, James Everett, who has been superintendent of the Meridian School District since 2018. Shawn Arnold was named the next superintendent of Alaska’s Juneau School District. Arnold is a middle school principal in the Juneau district and previously led the districts in Valdez and Nome.

Missouri’s Grandview C-4 School District has appointed its first female superintendent, Stephanie Amaya, who is the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources. The Beaverton School District in Oregon tapped Denver Public Schools’ Deputy Superintendent Anthony Smith as its next leader.

In South Carolina, Gerald Gary, the chief operations officer of School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, was named superintendent of the Sumter School District. Lamont Moore, the Sumter School District’s director of testing and accountability and Title III, was picked to lead the Williamsburg County School District.

Luther E. Johnson Jr., a regional superintendent in Ohio’s Columbus City Schools, will take the helm of Sandusky City Schools.

More hires

(LAST UPDATE: March 4, 2026) Tony Aylsworth will take the helm of Iowa’s Southeast Polk Community School District after having led Pleasantville CSD for 12 years. Aylsworth is spearheading a multi-year strategic planning initiative to improve academic outcomes, modernize facilities, improve financial health and manage enrollment growth in Pleasantville.

Kenny Rodrequez, the superintendent of Grandview C-4 School District in Missouri since 2016, has been hired to lead Putnam City Schools in Oklahoma. Rodrequez, the 2024 Missouri Superintendent of the Year, is credited with boosting literacy achievement and student well-being, as well as implementing new teacher evaluation systems in Oklahoma and Missouri.

In Minnesota, Superintendent Chris Swenson is moving from Holdingford Public Schools, a single-building district, to the larger Monticello School District. The Elkhart Independent School District in Texas chose its next leader, Reese Briggs, who was previously the superintendent of Hemphill and Kountze ISDs.

Deputy Superintendent Joe Waldron has been chosen as the lone finalist to lead Abilene ISD in Texas, where he has worked as an administrator since 2019. The district credits Waldron with driving instructional innovation, community engagement and fiscal advancement. Waldron previously led Morris Community High School District 101 in Illinois and Lefors ISD in Texas.

The Laconia School District in New Hampshire picked Joseph Baeta as its next superintendent. Baeta is superintendent of Stoughton Public Schools in Massachusetts and previously led districts in Holbrook and Norton.

In Ohio, Greg Williamson, who served 14 years as superintendent of Leipsic Local Schools, was promoted from his interim position at Tiffin City Schools. In Maryland, former Dorchester County Public Schools superintendent W. David Bromwell has also been elevated from his interim role to lead Somerset County Public Schools.

Other interim leaders promoted to the top spot include Danielle Brewer, Marion County Schools (Florida) and Linda D. Knott, Summers County Schools (West Virginia). Brewer has been with Marion County Schools since 2005 and served as the senior executive director of high schools and secondary curriculum before being named interim superintendent. Knott, who has been an educator for 40+ years, joined Summers County Schools as a special education teacher in 2001.

Nicole Moody, the assistant superintendent of teaching, learning, and school culture at Springfield Public Schools, was named the next leader of Decatur Public Schools District 61 in Illinois. Mississippi’s Kosciusko School District promoted Danya Turner, a high school principal, to superintendent.

More new hires

(LAST UPDATE: Feb. 20, 2026) Jennifer Kephart, serving her fifth year as superintendent in the School District of Washington near St. Louis, was named the next leader of Liberty Public Schools, also in Missouri. At the School District of Washington, Kephart prioritized stakeholder engagement and career exploration for students.

Kephart, who was previously an administrator in Lee’s Summit School District, will replace Jeremy Tucker, who is retiring after 12 years as superintendent.

In Oregon, Superintendent Jim Helmen is moving to the Eagle Point School District 9 from the Vernonia School District.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools promoted interim leader Roderick Richmond to superintendent, according to media reports. In his previous position as the district’s transformation officer, he worked to improve the performance of schools with D or F letter grades.

Several other interim leaders were promoted to superintendent, including Blaise Boswell (Vernon Independent School District, Texas), Jeanne Grazioli (Medford School District, Oregon), Scott Korpak (Harbor Springs Public Schools, Michigan) and Wes Weaver (Vermilion Local School District, Ohio).

In Massachusetts, the Holyoke Public Schools board has picked its first superintendent after 10 years of state receivership. The district promoted Assistant Superintendent Jackie Glasheen.

The Osceola School District in Arkansas also promoted its assistant superintendent, Toshiba Pugh, to superintendent. Pugh has been with the district for 23 years.

More new hires

  • April Harrison, Rogue River School District (Oregon)
  • Jon Martz, Sutherlin School District (Oregon)
  • Amy MacCrindle, Central Community Unit School District 301 (Illinois)
  • Gillian Macias, USD 261 Haysville Schools (Kansas)
  • Kassandra “Kassie” Meeks, Calaveras Unified School District (California)
  • Nicole Miller, Garret County Public Schools (Maryland)
  • Travis Motal, Liberty Hill ISD (Texas)
  • William Summers, Gunnison Watershed School District (Colorado)
  • Justin Sutton, Ocean Springs School District (Missouri)

(LAST UPDATE: Feb. 12, 2026) Wendy Johnson will take the helm as superintendent of the Boise School District in July. Johnson, Boise’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, led the Kuna School District from 2013 to 2024, prioritizing early learning, academic achievement, pathways for students and community engagement.

Jeff Rose, the former superintendent of Georgia’s Fulton County Schools, was appointed the next leader of Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia. Rose was most recently senior vice president of leadership development for Cognia, a global education nonprofit.

Rose also founded Leading Ed Solutions, a national superintendent support organization. Rose was previously the superintendent of the Beaverton and Canby school districts, both in Oregon.

In Ohio, Amy Wentworth, superintendent of New Philadelphia City Schools, is moving to Indian Valley Local Schools. Pennsylvania Superintendent Jay Burkhart is taking the helm at the Spring-Ford Area School District after having led the South Western School District.

In Illinois, Vicki King, superintendent of the Salem School District in Wisconsin, was hired to lead Bloomingdale School District 13. The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 has chosen its next leader, Jack “Chip” Pettit, who is superintendent of Duneland School Corporation in Indiana. Dana Smith will become superintendent of the Community Consolidated School District 15, after having led Flossmoor School District 161 since 2017.

Donalyn Biehler was picked to lead Burlington Unified School District #244 in Kansas. She is now superintendent of Herington USD 487. In New Jersey, Michael Ryder was selected superintendent of the Bloomingdale School District. He is the superintendent of Hardyston Township Public Schools.

In Minnesota, Brainerd Public Schools chose Minnewaska Area Schools Superintendent Chip Rankin as its next leader.

More new hires

  • Terry Bruinsma, West Lyon Community School District (Iowa)
  • Rose Burks, Roscoe Collegiate ISD (Texas)
  • Mark Doane, Beaufort County Schools (North Carolina)
  • Mark Farrar, Silver Lake USD 372 (Kansas)
  • Kari Groeneveld, School District of Maple (Wisconsin)
  • Darin Haack, Pleasant Valley Community School District (Iowa)
  • Brent Hodge, Boonville R-1 Board of Education (Missouri)
  • Geovanny Ponce, Champaign Unit 4 School District (Illinois)
  • Leigh Anne Neal, Five Town Community School District and Camden-Rockport Schools (Maine)
  • Zach Nesbitt, Bayard Public Schools (Nebraska)
  • Jared Ryan, Gilbert Public Schools (Arizona)
  • Tiffanie Spencer, Mansfield ISD (Texas)
  • Aaron Strickland, Shallowater ISD (Texas)
  • Rebecca Tatistcheff, Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union (Vermont)

(LAST UPDATE: Feb. 2, 2026) Vickie Murillo, superintendent of Iowa’s Council Bluffs Community School District for the past five years, has been named the next leader of the Independence School District in Missouri. Murillo has been an educator for 40 years and prioritized student achievement, equitable opportunities, and college and career readiness in Council Bluffs.

Janice Pavelonis was selected as the next superintendent of River Forest School District 90 near Chicago. Pavelonis has been superintendent of Carbondale Elementary School District 95 for five years and previously worked with several southern Illinois districts as the director of professional learning for the Regional Office of Education #30.

In Iowa, Superintendent Kyle Koeppen is moving to the Pella Community School District from the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District. In New York, the Tully Central School District has tapped its next leader, Andy Buchsbaum, who most recently served as superintendent of the Marathon Central School District.

Anna Battle was named the next superintendent of Arizona’s Chandler Unified School District. Battle is the deputy superintendent for Roosevelt School District and previously served as superintendent of Casa Grande Union High School District and assistant superintendent of operations for Tempe Union High School District.

Interim superintendent Karling Aguilera-Fort, a former deputy superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District and superintendent of the Oxnard School District, is taking the helm at the Bakersfield City School District in California.

Vancouver Public Schools in Washington picked Rocky Torres-Morales as its next leader. Torres-Morales is Seattle Public Schools’ associate superintendent and was previously an administrator in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Springfield Public Schools District 186 in Illinois plans to promote Terrance Jordan, its assistant superintendent of family, community and school leadership, to the top spot. Jordan first joined the district as a kindergarten teaching assistant in 2003. In the same state, Jerry Bell, deputy chief of student support in Syracuse City School District, was chosen to lead Peoria Public Schools.

More new hires

(LAST UPDATE: Jan. 20, 2026): Magda Parvey, superintendent of Andover Public Schools in Massachusetts since 2021, was named the next leader of the Fayetteville-Manlius School District in New York. Parvey has also been an administrator in New Rochelle, New York, Middletown, Connecticut and Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina.

“Dr. Parvey’s proven track record in curriculum innovation, fiscal stewardship and community engagement makes her the right leader for F-M’s future,” said Sarah Fitzgerald, Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education president.

Alfonso Q. Llano Jr. has been appointed state district superintendent of the Camden City School District in New Jersey. Llano has led Vineland Public Schools, also in New Jersey, since 2021 and previously served as acting superintendent of Trenton Public Schools.

Michele A. Riise, who has previously led two other Indiana districts, was named Elkhart Community Schools’ next superintendent. Riise, who is Elkhart’s assistant superintendent of elementary schools, also led Griffith Public Schools and Argos Community Schools.

Griffin-Spalding County Schools in Georgia promoted interim leader Donald Warren to superintendent. Warren, who joined the district in 2017, had been serving as deputy superintendent.

Neal Weaver, a deputy superintendent in Santa Fe Public Schools, will take the helm of Oklahoma’s Lawton Public Schools in the 2026-27 school year.

More new hires

Community support: Why Superintendent Laurie Barron is building sidewalks

LAST UPDATE (Jan. 5, 2026): Larry Huff was named superintendent of Rockford Public Schools in Illinois after having led Elkhart Community Schools in Indiana since 2024. Huff is credited with leading major gains in student learning, teacher support and school-community partnerships at Elkhart Community Schools.

In Wisconsin, Superintendent Glenda Butterfield-Boldig is moving to the Clinton Community School District from the Bowler School District. Butterfield-Boldig also served as superintendent of the White Lake School District.

Matthew Cheeseman, who has served as superintendent of Beaufort County Schools since 2019, will take the helm of Craven County Schools in North Carolina on Feb 1. Cheeseman led Perquimans County Schools from 2016 to 2019 and was recently named the 2025–2026 Southeast Region 2 Superintendent of the Year.

Community Consolidated School District 181 in Illinois has chosen Jim Wipke as its next superintendent. Wipke now leads the Ladue School District in Missouri and previously led the Fox C-6 School District.

The Conway Public School District in Arkansas elevated interim leader Jason Black to superintendent. Black previously led the Smackover-Norphlet School District. The Columbus Municipal School District in Mississippi promoted interim superintendent Craig Chapman to the full-time position.

In Texas, Superintendent Justin Turner will take the helm of the Ingram Independent School District after leading Hubbard ISD. Lardeo ISD promoted interim leader Guillermo Pro to superintendent.

More new hires

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Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of District Administration, covering K-12 public school leadership, teaching and learning, student achievement, education technology, and federal education policy. A journalist since 1996, Zalaznick has reported on politics, law enforcement, and breaking news for newspapers and websites across the U.S. Virgin Islands, the San Francisco Bay Area, Colorado, and the New York City suburbs. He holds a B.A. in English from Tufts University.

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