Board of Education Announces Superintendent Finalists Who Will Meet Public at Forums on May 4 and 5

- The Rochester Board of Education has named four finalists for consideration as the District’s next Superintendent of Schools.
- The four finalists will attend public forums on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, where parents, students, District employees, and community members can meet the candidates.

The four finalists are Mr. Terry Dade, Dr. Devon Horton, Dr. Sito Narcisse, and Dr. George Eric Thomas.

Dr. Narcisse and Dr. Thomas will appear at a public forum on Saturday, May 4. Mr. Dade and Dr. Horton will appear on Sunday, May 5. Anyone seeking to submit a question related to the qualities and characteristics contained in the leadership profile can submit it below by 12:00 p.m. Thursday, May 2. Additional questions may be submitted on index cards the day of the events for consideration.

All the sessions will be livestreamed here at www.rcsdk12.org/suptsearch

Mr. Terry Dade

Terry Dade is currently an Assistant Superintendent for the 180,000-student Fairfax County Public Schools in Falls Church, Virginia. Prior to that, Dade served one year as Executive Principal for School Improvement and four years as a school Principal at two elementary schools in Fairfax County Public Schools. He held the positions of Principal/Resident Principal and teacher in Washington D.C., as well as a teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools in Alexandria, Virginia.

Dr. Devon Horton

Dr. Devon Horton is currently Chief of Schools for the 101,000-student Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, where he supported the districtwide initiative to enhance CTE offerings with more than 30 career pathways. Prior to that, Horton served four years as Deputy Superintendent of Schools in the East St. Louis School District 189 in Illinois. Horton also held the positions of Principal, Assistant Principal, and teacher in Chicago Public Schools for more than a ten-year period.

Dr. Sito Narcisse

Dr. Sito Narcisse is the current Chief of Schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of all 167 schools with 86,000 students. Prior to that, Narcisse served three years as Associate Superintendent at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Narcisse has also served as Acting Chief School Improvement Officer, Director of School Performance/Director of School Support and Improvement in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and has held the position of Principal at both Boston Public Schools and Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Dr. Eric Thomas

Dr. Eric Thomas is the current Chief Turnaround Officer for the Georgia State Board of Education. Prior to that, Thomas served five years as Chief Support Officer at the University of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was also a part-time consultant for three years at the Ohio Department of Education and has served in multiple roles in Cincinnati Public Schools, including Chief Innovation Officer, Principal Coach, Principal, District Coordinator, and teacher.

Submit a question for Superintendent finalists at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUhUt0HiLD8knq7IU_XNv6n8pSaPfQr9mZiJKH7PKkMJyiXQ/viewform

About the Search Process

BWP and Associates is the Illinois-based educational leadership search firm hired by the Board of Education to coordinate the search. From a pool of applicants around the country, BWP selected 30 with professional experiences and personal characteristics that most closely matched a leadership profile approved by the Board. The Board conducted follow-up interviews and selected the four finalists – Dade, Horton, Narcisse, and Thomas. Each finalist has undergone an in-depth background review by independent third-party investigators. Those reviews included academic credentials, personal credit reports, criminal and civil histories, and a news media and social media review.