Families sending students to Lakota East, Lakota West or Lakota Central on Thursday, Aug. 13, will find new administrators waiting in the front office.
The district announced a sweeping set of leadership changes Wednesday, Aug. 12, placing new or promoted principals, assistant principals and district-level directors across every level of the roughly 17,000-student system. The moves touch high schools, junior schools, elementary buildings, the preschool program and the central office.
"This is an exciting time for our district," Superintendent Ashley Whitely said in the announcement. "The leaders stepping into these roles bring a strong commitment to student achievement and will provide the guidance, energy and support our students and staff need to thrive every day."
High school changes
Brian Wallace, who served as assistant principal at Plains Junior School since 2021, moves into the same role at Lakota East's main campus. Dr. John Spieser, with more than 20 years of school and district administration experience, joins Lakota Central as associate principal after serving as interim principal at Ross Intermediate School.
At Lakota West, John Mason returns as assistant principal after a year at Milford High School. Mason spent a decade at Lakota East as assistant athletic director and science teacher. He knows the district. Austin Rhoads, a Lakota West graduate, returns from Springboro High School as the school's new athletic director.
Lakota West Freshman gets a full leadership reset: Dr. Princess Crenshaw returns from Sycamore High School as associate principal, and Nicholas Jarrell arrives from La Salle High School as assistant principal.
District office restructuring
Several district-level roles are new or restructured:
- Justin Wilson promoted to director of accountability and assessment after serving as assistant director and testing coordinator. Jessica Carrelli and Benjamin Glad join him as assistant directors for grades K-6 and 7-12.
- Dan Hartman, West Freshman's assistant principal since 2024, becomes director of curriculum and instruction for grades 7-12. Katie Hambly, previously curriculum director at McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, joins as his assistant director.
- Andrew Wheatley shifts from his role as grades 7-12 curriculum director (held since 2018) into a newly created position: director of career exploration and strategic partnerships, focused on expanding real-world learning and career opportunities for students.
- Joe Howard moves from Lakota East assistant principal to assistant director of special education. Melissa Rossi and Paula Hickey take on special education director roles, and Heather Johnson becomes assistant director of specialized classrooms.
- Matt Wendeln joins as assistant treasurer with more than 25 years of Ohio public education experience, most recently at Milford Exempted Village Schools. Andrew Machan arrives from Dayton Public Schools as director of finance, and Shannon O'Connell joins as benefits manager from Middletown City Schools.
Elementary, junior and preschool
As we reported July 17, Mike Stapleton was promoted to principal at Cherokee Elementary after serving as assistant principal since 2022. Kelly Welling joins him from Reading Community Schools as assistant principal. Tricia Constable, who previously spent five years as assistant principal at Endeavor, joins VanGorden Elementary in the same role.
At Plains Junior School, James Dallio takes over as assistant principal, bringing more than a decade of administration experience including a stint as principal in Edgewood City Schools.
At the preschool level, Thea Staley joins as assistant director of the preschool program from West Clermont Schools, and Crystal Baughn joins Heritage as assistant principal from Middletown Early Learning Center.
What it means for families
The changes span every level of the district, which serves West Chester Township and Liberty Township. Students with last names A-L report first on Thursday's staggered opening day.
Previously announced executive-level changes include Lori Brown as executive director of pupil services, Rebecca Tompkins as executive director of curriculum and instruction, Dr. Tracy Wurtzler as interim executive director of special education and Randy Bertram as interim treasurer.
