Six Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent candidates were publicly announced Friday. Biographies were collected from each individual and released by the school board.
The district is in the midst of its fourth superintendent search in the past decade and officials hope to soon select its sixth superintendent since 2002.
Current Superintendent Patricia Green resigned April 11, toward the end of a regular school board meeting. It was an unexpected announcement of her retirement, one that shocked both the school board and the community.
Read about the background of each superintendent contender below or download a complete biography.
Ben Edmondson
Edmondson currently serves as the principal of the Ann Arbor Public Schools' Roberto Clemente High School. Edmondson holds a B.A. from University of Virginia, a M.Ed. from Ohio State University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
Richard Faidley
Faidley is the superintendent of schools for the Derry Township School District in Hershey, Pa. Faidley holds a B.A. from Mount Marty College, M.A.s from Iowa State and Northern Arizona University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from University of Arizona.
Sandra Harris
Harris is a retired superintendent of the Oak Park School District in Oak Park, Mich. She worked in the Ann Arbor Public Schools as the director of personnel, vocational coordinator, high school assistant principal and a teacher. Harris holds a B.A., M.A. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She also previously served as the superintendent and assistant superintendent of Lincoln Consolidated School District in Washtenaw County.
Henry Hastings
Hastings serves as a full-time instructor at Eastern Michigan University. Previously he served as a visiting assistant professor and adjunct professor at Oakland University and Wayne State University. Hastings also has served as a teacher at Chadsey High School in Detroit as well as a school counselor. Hastings holds an A.B. from the University of Detroit Mercy, a J.D. from Michigan State University and an Ed.D. from the University of Michigan from the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.
Brian Osborne
Osborne serves as superintendent of schools for the South Orange-Maplewood School District in New Jersey. Previously Osborne worked for the New York City Department of Education as the chief of staff, teaching and learning. Osborne holds an A.B. from Colgate University, a M.A.T. from New York University and an Ed.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Jeanice Kerr Swift
Swift serves as the assistant superintendent of instruction, curriculum and student services for the Colorado Springs School District in Colorado Springs, Colo. Previously she served as executive director of K-12 schools for the Colorado Springs School District. Swift holds a B.A. from the University of Texas, an M.A. from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the Morgridge School of Education at the University of Denver.
The candidates will be interviewed July 8 and 9 at the Courtyard Marriott in Ann Arbor. The interviews are open to the public and have been tentatively planned for Monday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Board of Education intends to select a new superintendent at a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on July 17.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.