Meet the Superintendent

My leadership is grounded in creating a shared vision, developing others and promoting gratitude.

Building trust and relationships are the essential keys to success in any leadership role I hold. I strongly believe in serving others, and throughout my career have built teams where, together, we set a clear direction that encompasses a positive culture, opportunities to develop others, and a growth mindset. My leadership style is grounded in creating a shared vision, developing others and promoting an attitude of gratitude.

Olentangy’s efficiency and success is rooted in its people.

A highly successful team is one where everyone has an integral role, is valued for what they bring to the table and is fully vested in the work the team is doing. I value collaboration on teams like this where respect is high, data is used to inform decisions and the collective team strengths are used to maximize effectiveness in problem solving, infrastructure and assessment.

Strategic planning is fundamental for an organization’s leaders to define their vision for the future and identify goals and objectives.

A critical component of my leadership is also built on a detailed strategic thought process. Success comes from a fundamental understanding and exploration of where we are now, a vision of where we are going, how we will get there, what do we need to succeed, and providing feedback along the way. And, finally, how will we know we’ve achieved our goal; what will our results be?

THE first 100 days

• FIRST: The beginning is all about relationships. I will spend time listening and learning through individual conversations and small group meetings. Building relationships is a strength of mine, and I look forward to connecting with our Board of Education, district personnel, students, parents, and the many governmental officials who reside in and are an integral part of our One Olentangy community.
• NEXT: I will spend time analyzing and sharing feedback in many areas including but not limited to academics, operations, finance, technology, communications and district policies.
• FINALLY: Together, with the team, district leaders and stakeholders, we will begin to update and revise the goals of the strategic plan, preparing us to flourish as a district in the near and distant future.

My Why

My childhood years were undeniably challenging. However, I am grateful for how they have distinctly shaped my life today. What I’m most passionate about is derived directly from my earliest experiences. I am passionate about family, public education, learning, culture, leadership development and serving others. These were realizations or gifts along the way that helped me become the person I am. 

Over time, I have realized the value of a growth mindset and the importance of building an environment where others around me succeed, due to our shared goals, clear communication, high trust, and effective teamwork.

My wife Gina and I have been married for 26 years and are proud parents to three Olentangy Schools graduates: Alexia (OLHS ’16), Gabe (OLHS ’18) and Isabela (OLHS ’23). The star of our family, though, is Milo, our 3-year-old Goldendoodle. 

Time with family, traveling, reading, and playing pickleball are all interests of mine. I am an avid Ohio State University fan, and cheer on any  Scarlet and Gray team. My favorite book is Good to Great by Jim Collins. 

career achievements

• Opened Orange High School: Led the successful opening of Olentangy Orange High School in 2008. Selected 75 staff members and welcomed a student enrollment of over 800 students in grades 9-11. During my eight-year tenure, Olentangy Orange High School was consistently recognized as a high performing high school in the state and nation. 
• Pioneer Pride: Established the cornerstone of the culture and climate that exists today at Olentangy Orange High School by ensuring the OOHS marching band brought excitement, pride, and school spirit front and center in all that we did. It brings me great pride to see the band remain a focal point of the Pioneer culture. 
• Global Pandemic: Met challenge of navigating district’s school operations through COVID-19 pandemic, orchestrating major pivot to reallocate financial and human resources to ensure safe learning environment for students and staff.  Overcame daily supply chain and transportation challenges to successfully procure PPE, keeping district operations and school buildings open without interruption during the 2020-21 school year.  Created online committed distance learning program serving 5,000 K-12 students, reallocating 200+ staff in two months for the start of the 2020-21 school year. 
• Olentangy: BridgED: Serve as a district co-leader to develop BridgED: Olentangy. An effort to help bridge the gap between K-12 and the business community by enhancing student and staff experiences. Enabling Olentangy Schools to create awareness, access and understanding of career pathways for students, parents, and teachers. Partnerships with companies include: JPMorgan Chase, Honda, Elford, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Forge Biologics, Accenture, Kokosing, Worthington Industries and Nationwide.  
• Contract Negotiations: Function as District’s lead negotiator, completing seven contract negotiations or extensions with four bargaining units. 
• HR/Payroll Digital Conversion: Led digital conversion for HR employee management system integration with payroll for 2800+ employees. This has helped save the District time and money by automating the areas of hiring, onboarding, digital employee personnel file and professional development records management, payroll, job classification/placement, performance evaluations, licensure, and offboarding.
• Progress Scorecard: Developed metric-driven scorecard that identified progress on 50+ measurable operational targets aligned to district and national benchmarks, including employee retention rates, job satisfaction, employee grievances and evaluation performance.