People Watch
School Administrator, August 2022


Shane Backlund

After 10 years as superintendent of the Selah School District in Selah, Wash., and 21 years in total with the district, Shane Backlund is moving to the deputy superintendency of Educational Service District 105 in Yakima, Wash. Before becoming superintendent, Backlund was Selah’s executive director for teaching and learning for three years. His early teaching career began in Washington’s Lake Chelan School District, where he taught middle school and coached basketball, baseball and soccer. Backlund has been an AASA member since 2015.
 

 
 
Gustavo Balderas

Gustavo Balderas is the new superintendent in Beaverton, Ore., after two years as superintendent of the Edmonds School District in Lynnwood, Wash. He previously held superintendencies in Eugene, Ore., and Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach, Calif. Balderas began as an English as a second language teacher in Hillsboro, Ore., where he eventually served as assistant superintendent. He was named AASA’s National Superintendent of the Year in 2020. An AASA member since 2011, Balderas received his Ed.D. from the University of Oregon.
 
 
  
 
Melvin J. Brown

The Montgomery County, Ala., school board has appointed Melvin Brown as superintendent. A 23-year veteran of public school administration, he has been working as chief executive officer of the Reynoldsburg City School District in Ohio. Previously, Brown served as regional vice president for Mosaica Education and deputy superintendent for the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, City Schools. He spent eight years in two principalships. An AASA member since 2014, Brown holds an Ed.D. in educational studies and educational administration from Ohio State University.
 
 
 

  
Susan Enfield

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees in Reno, Nev., has selected Susan Enfield as superintendent. Enfield had served for a decade as superintendent of Highline Public Schools in Burien, Wash. Previously, she was interim superintendent and chief academic officer in Seattle, Wash., and director of the Bureau of Teaching and Learning Support for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Enfield is a lead teacher for AASA’s National Superintendent Certification Program. An AASA member since 2002, she holds an Ed.D. from Harvard University.
 

 
  
 
Edward J. Manuszak

Edward Manuszak has accepted a position as executive director for early childhood for Washtenaw Intermediate School District in Ann Arbor, Mich., after working as superintendent in Dundee, Mich., for six years. Previously, Manuszak was assistant superintendent of instruction and student services for Bedford Public Schools in Temperance, Mich. He held several principalships in Tecumseh, Mich., and began his career as a kindergarten teacher in Indianapolis, Ind. Manuszak, who joined AASA in 2016, is a committee member for AASA’s Early Learning Cohort.
 

 
 
 
Steve M. Matthews

The new superintendent in Rockford, Mich., is Steve Matthews, previously superintendent in Novi, Mich., since 2011. Matthews earlier spent three years as the superintendent in Grand Ledge, Mich., and director of curriculum and assessment in Troy, Mich., for 10 years. From 1980 to 1990, Matthews worked as a regional youth minister and as a child protective services worker for the Texas Department of Human Resources in Lubbock, Texas. An AASA member since 2011, Matthews holds an Ed.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.
 

 
 
 

APPOINTMENTS
Bryce Amos, from superintendent, Carlisle, Iowa, to executive director, Solution Tree Iowa state office
Mary Anne Butler, from assistant superintendent to superintendent, Stonington School District, Pawcatuck, Conn.
Nate Carman, from superintendent, San Benito, Texas, to superintendent, Socorro Independent School District, El Paso, Texas
Andrea Celico, from superintendent, Bedford, Ohio, to superintendent, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Michael Cummings, from superintendent, Fairfield, Conn., to superintendent, Pomfret, Conn.
Theodore Ihns, from superintendent, Howard-Winneshiek Community School District, Cresco, Iowa, to superintendent, Indianola, Iowa
Michelle Kuss-Cybula, from superintendent, Cle Elum-Roslyn School District 404, Cle Elum, Wash., to superintendent, Oak Harbor, Wash.
Charles L. Ledbetter, from superintendent, Pike Road, Ala., to superintendent, Pelham, Ala.
Kent Pekel, from interim superintendent to superintendent, Rochester, Minn.
Thomas R. Moore, from superintendent, West Hartford, Conn., to superintendent, Niles Township High School District 219, Skokie, Ill.
Troy Roth, from superintendent, Findlay, Ohio, to superintendent, Bellevue, Ohio
Danielle S. Tormala, from associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction, St. Charles, Mo., to superintendent, Wentzville, Mo.
Jennifer Wonnell, from assistant superintendent, Dundee, Mich., to superintendent, Dansville, Mich.
 
RETIREMENTS
Jaime Alicea, superintendent, Syracuse, N.Y.
Anthony C. Azar, superintendent, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, North Dighton, Mass.
Sara Bonser, superintendent, Plano, Texas
Daniel D. Curry, superintendent, Calvert County Schools, Prince Frederick, Md.
Ronald Drzewicki, superintendent, Mason, Mich.
Marc Gousse, superintendent, Mount Desert Island Regional School District, Bar Harbor, Maine
Martin D. Handler, superintendent, Pine Plains, N.Y.
Ron Hanson, superintendent, North Platte School District, North Platte, Neb.
Chad Higgins, superintendent, Maize, Kan.
Ginny L. Hunt, superintendent, Clairton, Pa.
Emilie M. Lonardi, superintendent, Downingtown, Pa.
Michael McAran, superintendent, Morenci, Mich.
Lorrie Rodrigue, superintendent, Newtown, Conn.
John M. Weidner Sr., superintendent, Twin River School District, Genoa, Neb.
Michael S. Weiler, superintendent, Kent City, Mich.
 
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