People Watch

School Administrator, January 2021


Christopher Cammack

Christopher “CJ” Cammack is the new superintendent in Fremont, Calif. He previously held several positions in Martinez, Calif., including superintendent, deputy superintendent and director of student services and special education. Cammack was recognized as the administrator of the year in 2009-10 in Martinez when he was an elementary school principal. He began as an elementary school teacher in Mount Diablo, Calif., Unified School District. Cammack has been an AASA member since 2016.
 





Rydell Harrison

Rydell Harrison is the new superintendent in Easton-Redding Region 9, overseeing three school districts consisting of two elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school district in Connecticut. Previously, he spent two years as superintendent in Watertown, Conn. He also was the assistant superintendent of instructional services and executive director of professional learning for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina. Harrison has held several principalships in Chapel Hill and Greensboro, N.C., and began his career as a music teacher. An AASA member since 2018, he received his Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
 





Walter Jackson

La Porte Independent School District in Texas has selected Walter Jackson as its new superintendent. Previously, Jackson was the superintendent in Brenham, Texas, for five years. He also served as area/assistant superintendent for the Alief Independent School District in Houston. Jackson served as a principal in several schools and taught graduate students in educational administration for the University of Houston system. An AASA member since 2015, Jackson received his Ed.D. from Baylor University.
 


 


Julie Nielsen

Julie Nielsen assumed the position of superintendent of South Washington County Schools in Cottage Grove, Minn., becoming the district’s first female superintendent. She previously served as assistant superintendent for academic excellence and accountability in the district for six years. Nielsen earlier was an elementary school principal in several districts and began her career as an elementary physical education specialist and assistant high school girls’ basketball coach in 1992. Nielsen has been a member of AASA since 2018.
 

 


Marion Smith Jr.

The Summit School District in Frisco, Colo., selected Marion Smith Jr. as its new superintendent. Previously, he was the chief operating and education officer for TechSmart in Seattle, Wash. He previously worked as the executive director of learning improvement in Kent, Wash., and has held administrative positions in several other Washington districts, as well as positions in Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Smith founded Educate to Liberate Consulting, which developed the Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership Framework. He received his Ed.D. from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif., and has been an AASA member since 2017.
 




Brenda Wynder

The newly appointed superintendent of Southeast Delco School District in Folcroft, Pa., Brenda Wynder previously was the superintendent for Lake Forest School District in Felton, Del., for five years. She also served as Lake Forest’s chief academic officer for two years and held principalships in several districts. Wynder started her career as a high school teach-er and girls’ varsity track and junior varsity basketball coach. An AASA member since 2013, Wynder received her Ed.D. in educational leadership from Delaware State University.
 




APPOINTMENTS
Eric Bracy, from superintendent, Sampson County, N.C., to superintendent, Johnston County, N.C.
Jared Cleveland,
from deputy superintendent to superintendent, Springdale, Ariz.
Aaron Engel, from superintendent, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District, Galesville, Wis., to superintendent, La Crosse, Wis.
Tom Flanagan,
from chief academic officer, Providence, R.I., to superintendent, Burlington, Vt.
William Folse,
from superintendent, St. Tammany Parish Schools, Covington, La., to assistant state superintendent of system relationships, Louisiana Department of Education
William Furbush,
from superintendent, Pelham, N.H., to superintendent, Epping, N.H.
Lisa Herring,
from superintendent, Birmingham, Ala., to superintendent, Atlanta, Ga.
Larry Hook,
from superintendent, Carlisle, Ohio, to superintendent, Springboro, Ohio
Beth Olson,
from business administrator, Chautauqua Lake Central School District, Mayville, N.Y., to superintendent, Clymer, N.Y.
Shelley Redinger,
from superintendent, Spokane, Wash., to superintendent, Richland, Wash.
Todd Terrill,
from superintendent, Richmond, Ind., to superintendent, Crown Point, Ind.
Kendra Trail,
from superintendent, Greencastle-Antrim School District, Greencastle, Pa., to assistant executive director, Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, New Oxford, Pa.
Nicolas Wade,
from superintendent, Elmwood Park, Ill., to superintendent-elect, Lexington School District Two, West Columbia, S.C.
Cheryl Watson-Harris,
from deputy chancellor, New York, N.Y., to superintendent, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, Ga.
 

RETIREMENTS
Brian Busler, superintendent, Oregon, Wis.
Bo Caldwell,
superintendent, Henderson County Public Schools, Hendersonville, N.C.
Chad Cohrs,
superintendent, Selinsgrove, Pa.
Dave Endicott,
superintendent, Pine River-Backus School District, Pine River, Minn.
Jeffrey Hyatt,
superintendent, Gainesville, Mo.
Joseph Mancini,
superintendent, Ellwood City, Pa.
 

DEATHS
Duane Douglas Bark, 61, superintendent, Markesan, Wis., Oct. 7
Arthur Gosling,
83, retired superintendent, Arlington, Va., Sept. 10
Jim Matre,
73, retired superintendent, North Polk, Iowa, June 17
Gerald Tirozzi,
83, retired superintendent, New Haven, Conn., Nov. 1
 

 
News about AASA members’ promotions, retirements, honors and deaths should be addressed to: Editor, School Administrator, 1615 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Fax: 703-841-1543. E-mail: magazine@aasa.org