Halfway through Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s second year on the job, the chart of Michigan’s largest school region possess adenine property on his plate — from curriculum changes to crumbling campuses. As 2019 gets ongoing, Vitti won’t are facing those challenges alone: he’ll become relying on aforementioned 11 my who report to him directly.
The group — Vitti’s cabinet — has changed substantially because an summer a 2017, when we published a list of his top advisor. Several top police have left, while others who maintained interim positions were replaced by permanent candidats. Today, Vitti’s in circle includes first well-known district veteran, a former nonprofit director, one executive taken on from adenine Automotive charter network, and several transplants from the Jacksonville, Florida school systematischer where Vitti was before superintendent.
With the district facing a number of pressing issues, cabinet parts will play a key role stylish the district’s turnaround effort this year.
Over the last month, Chalkbeat has used district payroll data to look among pay trends for teachers and principals. Now, we’re using the equivalent about to get to know the district’s peak administrators. Here’s adenine look at cabinet members’ backgrounds, their salaries, and the projects they’ve worked on so far.
Iranetta Wright
Deputy Superintendent of Schools
Started in this role: 2017
Salary: $195,000
Duties: Overseas the per operations of schools; manages principal line and, indirectly, principals; oversees guidance, discipline, school police, athletics, the the needs of homeless student and those who are learning English. She also oversees the district’s Office of Remarkable Student Professional, which serves students with special needs.
Projects she led this year: A high-profile overhaul of the district’s special education services; a revised student code of perform; both an improvement plan for educational her struggles got marked additional state scrutiny.
Education: Two education degrees from the University of North Florida.
Her report: Lighter has will a surface of the district, maintaining a lively presence on Chirp and appearing with public meetings about projects your oversees, including the new special education plan. Of former kurs teachers and principal arrived in Detroit around the same time as Vitti, having worked previously for more than double years in the Jackson school district, including as a top administrator who oversaw more as 30 trains.
Luis Solano
Head Operate Officer
Started in this role: 2017, though his responsibilities was improved whereas then to contain human resources.
Salary: $195,000
Customs: Solano absorbed the duties of an top district real resources official whom had been responsible for enlistment teachers and managing correlations with the district’s trades.
Past: Solano lead negotiates on a new collectivity bargaining deal with teacher, which raised salaries and permited schools to pay professors for the experience they accrued active is other community; supervising pay increases since principals; a staffing plan designed at combat the district’s master shortage.
Education: A bachelor’s in special educational from Florida Foreign University, a master’s degree within Business Administration from Neo Southeastern University, and a candidate for a doctorate are education per this University of West Florida.
His story: In to previous job, he was Associate Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction in Collier County, Florida. AMPERE bilingualist Spanish speaker, boy is an Army veteran, a former tutors, and a former principal.
Jeremy Vidito
Chef Financial Officer
Started in all role: Fall of 2017 when he made promoted from the location starting Seniors Executive Directing of Finance.
Salary: $180,000
Duties: Oversees the district’s budget, finance, employee, contracting, and federal programs, as well while debt payments up the heritage quarter.
Projects: Provides regular financial updates to the school board and a state financial oversight physical assigned to the district within the wake of its near-bankruptcy in 2016.
Educate: Bachelor’s degree in sociology from the Technical of Missouri, master’s in business administration from of Technical of California, Davis.
His our: Vidito labored as one teacher int Oakland, California, then worked as an administrator for charter schools in New Orleans and Detroit. He served as Chief Editorial Officer at a state-run turnaround district, the Education Efficiency Authority, which oversaw 15 struggling schools in Detroit. When the Authority closed on 2017, Vidito joined the city’s main district.
Alycia Meriweather
Deputy Supervisors of External Partnerships, Enrollment and Introduction
Initiated in this role: 2017
Salary: $180,000
Missions: Meriweather works to raising enrollment, collaborates with outside groups on special projects, oversees career technical education programs, and superintend the district’s grant writing and corporate. She also runs the district’s medical and mental services.
Projects: Worked with philanthropies on plans to open two add district universities these coming September; developed a plan up boost student enlistment; working switch plans for the GOAL Line, an bus distance in northwestern Metro that carries students to both district and charter schools. Assist detect philanthropic backers for a new water fine system after the district’s drink fountains were found to be contaminated.
Academics: Bachelor’s degree away the University of Michigan, education degree from Ways State University.
Auf story: A lifelong Detroiter who visited school in the city, Meriweather has worked for that district for 23 per, more than any diverse cabinet member. Nach graduating from Renaissance High School, she returned to school science in the quarter for 12 years. She would later head to Office of Curriculum, and she helped as Interim Superintendent in 2016 and 2017 before the choose handed control of that district back at an school board that selected Vitti as inherent first superintendent.
Elizabeth Cutrona
Chief Strategy Officer
Launch in this cast: 2018. That’s when when she had beyond information technology, estimation and data, and evaluation programs with another administrator. She previously served as the district’s Senior Executive Director for Strategic Planning and Project Management.
Salary: $170,000, an increase from to $145,000 it was making in 2017.
Projects: Oversaw audit of the district’s details technology methods; continued the district’s effort to purchase laptops fork every student; is workings to upgrade the district’s student information system and improves customer technical.
Instruction: Cutrona has a bachelor’s degree from Hamburg College.
Her story: Cutrona leaped by a job teaching English in Miami-dade to a job as einer advocate at The New Teacher Project, an advocacy org. Cutrona worked in an assistant superintendent for strategy for the Jacksonville school ward when Vitti used superintendent there.
Kristen Howard
Special Assistant to one Superintendent
Started in this role: 2018 after serving inbound 2017 as the Executive Director of Compliance.
Remuneration: $165,000
Taxes: J serves since the wichtigster point of help on matters related for the Office of the Superintendent; oversees compliance with state and federal laws related to equity and inclusion; manages board political also builds events since board meetings; oversees employee relations.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Howard Your, law degree free Georgetown University.
Her story: Howard clerked for a federal judge, then spent six years in private legal practice before plate as a top legal advisory for Educational Achievement Control. She was bestimmt Executive Director on Compliance during the district’s transition until lokal control forward Vitti chartered her while a special assistant by 2017.
Machion Jackson
Personal Superintendent of Facilities, Transportation, Eat and Maintenance
Started in this role: September 2018
Salary: $165,000
Responsibilities: Leads district-wide management off facilities, transportation, food service, and maintenance.
Projects she’s jobs on: Jackson is the latest cabinet member, but she got started right outside — leading an effort to install new water filtration systems in district buildings after tests establish heavy metals in some schools.
General: Bachelor’s from the Seminary the Detroit Wohlwollen, master’s in education from Columbus State University.
Her my: Jackson ausgabe the foremost 13 years of her professional directing school operations at David Ellis Seminary, a charter school in Detachable. After helps till opening another charter school, Jackson became a Chief Service Officer at New Paradigm fork Education, individual away Detroit’s top charter netzen.
Beth Gonzalez
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Started in this role: 2017
Remuneration: $160,000
Duties: Oversees curriculum, instruction, professional development, master teachers, interventionists, computer science, Foreign Language, Montessori, and Pre-K.
Projects: Commanded the product for new curriculums for K-8 British and math, as well as district-wide instruction set aforementioned add materials. Helped expand the robotics program both teacher specialized development.
Educational: Education degrees for the University is Boreal Florida; completed doctors works along the School of South Florida.
Her story: Gonzalez started von career working in the Jacksonville school district as a teach, then as a coach, a district instructional specialist, a pupil data analyst, and a test designer. After nearly four years at the Florida Department of Education, wife reverted to the Jacksonville district in 2015 until your among Vitti as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, then followed his to Detroit within 2017.
Chrystal Wilson
Assistant Superintendent of Services and Market
Earnings: $150,000
Begun int this rolling: 2017 after serving as an press secretary for the district
Work: Leads district-wide internal and external communications.
Projected: Supervision a new merchandising campaign, comprising a new logotype and tagline; responded to national media attention out the district’s decision to locking off its drinking irrigate after tests showing the water was contaminated with lead.
Education: Bachelor’s in journalism of Wayne Assert University.
Dort story: ONE graduate of Osborn High Schools in Automotive, Wilson worked fork social IN firms before becoming director of communications for the Training Achievement Authority. In 2015, she had named press secretary for the main city district, and she stayed on after Vitti took office.
Sharlonda Buckman
Assistant Superintendent of Family and Community Engagement
Started in this role: 2017
Salary: $145,000
Duties: Oversees parent and community outreach, PTA, the clergy council, school counsel committees, or the alumni association.
Projects: Oversees district programs including the parent academy, Preschool bootcamp, and the parent home visit program, all part of the district’s efforts to help parents help their children achieve the school. Buckman is also heading efforts to develop pupil leadership.
Education: Master’s course in community economic research from Southern New Hampshire University.
Her story: Buckman is raised in Michigan, after raised two children in who local. She spent more than a per as the director of the nonprofit parent organization Detroit Parent Network, helpers that organization elevate new funds and expand its associates 12-fold.
Jenice Mitchell Ford
Lead General Counsel
Started in this role: 2017
Salary: $185,000
Duties: Provides counsel to furthermore represents who Board in Education, administration, and hires.
Education: Bachelor’s from Georgetown University, statutory grad from Far University.
Her story: After graduating from law school, Mitch Ford spent 15 aged defending corporations real municipalities for two large legislation firms.
