Superintendent Search Updates
November 28, 2023
ACSD Board hires Dr. Wendy Baker as the next ACSD Superintendent
Dear ACSD Community,
The ACSD Board is thrilled to welcome Dr. Wendy Baker as the next Superintendent of Addison Central School District. Dr. Baker was selected from an extremely strong pool of candidates from across the country, with the assistance of the McPherson & Jacobson search firm. The Board would like to thank members of our administration, teachers, support staff, students, and community members who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in three days of stakeholder meetings. Their feedback on each of the three finalists was essential in helping the Board select the best candidate for ACSD.
Dr. Baker is looking forward to bringing her skills and experience to the benefit of ACSD students and educators. The Board will work with Dr. Baker to establish a transition plan over the next 6 months, including her contribution toward initial implementation of the ACSD’s Strategic Plan. She will officially begin the position July 1, 2024, pending contract execution and approval by the Vermont Agency of Education. You can read more about her background and experience below.
In the upcoming weeks we will share opportunities for our community to meet with Dr. Baker. I hope you will join me in welcoming Dr. Baker to the ACSD Community!
Barbara Wilson
ACSD Board Chair
Dr. Wendy Baker - Background and Biography
Dr. Wendy Baker is a multigenerational Vermonter with thirty years of demonstrated success supporting students, teachers, schools, and leaders to achieve at high levels.
Dr. Baker spent the first twenty years of her career serving Vermont public education, including her work as a tutor within the Chittenden County Correctional Center, a Nationally Board-Certified Middle School Humanities teacher, a School Improvement Specialist within the Vermont Department of Education, a Middle School Principal, and a Superintendent of Schools in the Orange East Supervisory Union.
As a higher education administrator with Southern New Hampshire University, Dr. Baker led the development of non-traditional programming for support staff, teachers, and leaders across New England. She also managed strategic partnerships that brought transformative, place-based academic programs to students, teachers, and leaders across the country and in many countries throughout the world. Her team’s work was nominated for an EdTech Award in 2020 in recognition of its outstanding contribution to transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere.
Dr. Baker served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Clinton Community College, which focused her attention toward community partnerships, philanthropy, and grant acquisitions. Currently, she collaborates with community organizations as a philanthropic developer and independent advisor for state, federal, and foundation grant opportunities.
Dr. Baker’s passion is deeply rooted in social justice and equity. Alongside her full-time roles, she has sought to gain perspective across cultural contexts as a consultant with more than fifty diverse organizations across the United States, in Liverpool, England, and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 2013, she has developed and taught graduate coursework and advised doctoral research in equitable teaching and leadership practices, socially just public policy, and positive organizational development.
Dr. Baker is excited for the opportunity to return to a leadership role within Vermont’s K12 educational community. She is particularly delighted to be able to serve students and families within Addison County, where her family originally settled in VT during the mid-1700s.
In her free time, you’ll find Dr. Baker on the basketball court officiating boys and girls varsity games on both sides of Lake Champlain, playing the imaginary game of the day with her granddaughter, or digging deep into the shelves of the secondhand bookshop she owns with her husband Rich in Plattsburgh, NY. She looks forward to getting to know the priorities, people, and communities of ACSD more deeply in the coming months.
October 29, 2023
Parents and Caregivers: Please use this form to express your interest in serving on the search committee for the ACSD Superintendent. You will meet with each candidate for approximately 45 minutes. If you want to serve on this panel you must be available from 11:30-12:15 on Monday 11/13, Tuesday 11/14, and Wednesday 11/15, 2023. A Board member will be in touch with you by Wednesday Nov 8, 2023 if you have been selected to tell you where the meeting will be.
October 24, 2023
In August, the Board restarted its Superintendent Search process with McPherson and Jacobson, LLC. The timeline for the search is as follows:
- The position was posted during the month of September.
-
On October 18th, the search consultant presented qualified candidates to the Board and assisted the Board in selecting the candidates it will invite for further interviews. The Board is working with the consultant, our Interim Superintendent, and school principals on the formation of stakeholder groups to participate in the interview process.
-
Onsite interviews will be conducted with the Board and stakeholder groups during the week of November 13th.
-
The Board will be meeting shortly thereafter to review stakeholder team feedback and make its final selection.
-
We plan to share the final decision with the community before the end of December.
For questions, please contact ACSD Board Chair, Barbara Wilson: bwilson@acsdvt.org
The School Board of the Addison Central School District, Middlebury, Vermont, is seeking a
highly qualified, fully certified, educational leader to serve as Superintendent. The Board
wishes to have the successful candidate assume the responsibilities of the position, July 1, 2024.
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment and Development, has been engaged as
the consultant in a search for outstanding candidates. They will assist the School Board in
identifying and screening the candidates.
Enrollment: ~1,700
Location: 35 miles south of Burlington
The Qualifications
The candidate must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for excellence in
educational leadership. The Board recognizes that selecting a superintendent is one of the most
important decisions it will make. The Board developed the following desired characteristics.
The Addison Central School District Board of Education is seeking a Vermont licensed
superintendent who:
- has a proven record of success in leadership positions as evidenced by positive recommendations from former staff and work supervisors.
- is a data-driven decision-maker who prioritizes equity and understands the diverse needs of students, families, and staff.
- is collaborative and skillful at bringing people with different opinions together to build on common ground to reach consensus, a uniter.
- is dedicated to improving student outcomes for all, with a strong knowledge of special education, understanding of rural communities and socioeconomic diversity/disparity.
- is able to delegate and demonstrate accountability across their team, can assess the effectiveness of staff, and ensures staff have the necessary resources to be successful.
- is systems oriented around student outcomes and decision-making, monitors and adjusts actions as needed, and anticipates unintended consequences of actions.
Search Timeline:
- Closing date for applications: September 28, 2023 (11:30 p.m. central time)
- School Board selects finalists to interview: October 18, 2023
- Interviews with the School Board: November 13 – 15, 2023
- School Board announces new Superintendent: Early December 2023
- ACSD Superintendent Begins: July 1, 2024
Updated: 8/31/23
Contact information:
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.
11725 Arbor Street, Suite 220
Omaha, NE 68144
888-375-4814
Email: apps@macnjake.com
School Website: http://acsdvt.org
Consultant: Dr. Judy Sclair-Stein j_sclairstein@macnjake.com
The Addison Central School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The district does not
discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability and, when
needed, will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees. Anyone requesting a
reasonable accommodation in the application or recruitment process please contact McPherson &
Jacobson at the address/phone/email above.