People Watch
School Administrator, February 2022


Kenneth Hurst Sr.

Kenneth “Chris” Hurst is the new superintendent of the West Contra Costa Unified School District in Richmond, Calif. Previously, he spent five years as superintendent in Othello, Wash., and eight years as associate superintendent for educational services in Oceanside, Calif. He has held several principalships in various California districts and began his teaching career in Poway, Calif., as a math and computer science teacher. Hurst also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 11 years. An AASA member since 2016, Hurst received his Ed.D. in K-12 leader-ship from the University of Southern California.


Barry Lee

Barry Lee, the new superintendent of the 2,400-student Casey County School District in Liberty, Ky., spent the previous nine years working as the school district’s director of special education. Previously, he directed special education and Section 504 in the Pulaski County Schools in Somerset, Ky. Lee was a principal for five years in Casey County and began his education career in 2002 as a middle school special education teacher and sports coach in the same district. He has been an AASA member since 2021.


Demetrus Liggins

Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Ky., has named Demetrus Liggins as its new superintendent. Previously, Liggins served in the same leadership role in Greenville, Texas, for five years and as area superintendent in Grand Prairie, Texas. He has held principalships in several Texas school districts, including Grand Prairie, Mansfield and Lancaster. Liggins began his career as an English and English as a second language teacher in 2000 in Fresno, Calif. He has been an AASA member since 2015 and holds a Ph.D. from University of Texas.

Khalid N. Mumin

After seven years as superintendent in Reading, Pa., Khalid Mumin has moved into the same berth with the Lower Merion School District in Ardmore, Pa. Before his time in Reading, Mumin was chief executive officer for Caroline County Public Schools in Denton, Md., for three years. He has held positions in several Pennsylvania districts, including middle school principal and dean of students. Mumin began his career as a secondary English teacher in Scotland, Pa., in 1996. An AASA member since 2010, he received his Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.


Thomas W. Taylor

Virginia’s Stafford County Public Schools have named Thomas Taylor as the new superintendent. Taylor previously was superintendent in Chesterfield, Va., for five years after serving as the district’s deputy superintendent, chief academic officer and executive director of school administration. He also worked as superintendent of the Middlesex County Public Schools in Saluda, Va. Taylor began his education career in 2000 as a high school social studies teacher in Chesapeake, Va. An AASA member for 10 years, he received his Ed.D. from the University of Virginia.



APPOINTMENTS
Robert Baldwin, from superintendent, Fairhaven, Mass., to executive director, Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, Franklin, Mass.
Susan Compton, from superintendent, Atlantic Highlands, N.J., to superintendent, Seymour, Conn.
Kai A. D’Alleva, from principal to superintendent, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Adam S. Fine, from assistant superintendent to superintendent, East Hampton, N.Y.
Andrea Guerrero, from social studies teacher, Springfield, Ill., to superintendent, Waverly, Ill.
Deborah Kerr-Eckhart, from retirement to interim superintendent, St. Francis, Wis.
Deon Jackson, from chief administrative officer for pupil services to superintendent, Berkeley County School District, Moncks Corner, S.C.
John Kopicki, from superintendent, Central Bucks School District, Doylestown, Pa., to superintendent, Cabarrus County Schools, Concord, N.C.
Jason McKinnon, from superintendent, Oxford, Conn., to superintendent, Easton-Redding-Region 9, Easton, Conn.
Joey Page, from superintendent, Byron, Minn., to superintendent, Austin, Minn.
Paula Patterson, from deputy superintendent, Sheldon Independent School District, Houston, Texas, to superintendent, Crosby, Texas
Shawn Petretti, from high school principal to superintendent, Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District, Cutchogue, N.Y.
Lynne Rutnik, from superintendent, Lake George, N.Y., to deputy superintendent, Schenectady, N.Y.
Timothy Seymour, from superintendent, St. Regis Falls, N.Y., to superintendent, Lake Placid, N.Y.
Misty Slavic, from assistant superintendent, Chartiers Valley School District, Pittsburgh, Pa., to superintendent, Kiski Area School District, Vandergrift, Pa.
Jeffrey Wihbey, from superintendent, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, Hartford, Conn., to superintendent, Haddam-Killingworth Regional School District 17, Higganum, Conn.