Following a nationwide search, the Essex Westford School District Board has narrowed the pool of applicants for the superintendent position down to three finalists. There was significant interest in the position, with over 20 applicants from across the country.
The three finalists are:
Mark Holodick
Davion R. Lewis
Patricia Rodriguez
“Our Board is truly thrilled to share these finalists with our community,” said EWSD Board Chair Robert Carpenter. “Every step of this process has been driven and shaped by community feedback, and I see our community’s values reflected in these incredible educational leaders. Our Board is so grateful: to the candidates, for coming forward ready to engage with our District, to Alma, for bringing us some of the strongest, most competitive educational leaders nationally, and to our community, for caring so deeply and investing in this process to shape the future of our District. The final steps will be very exciting and our Board looks forward to hearing our community’s thoughts!”
The three finalists will now visit the District on February 12-13 and take part in interview sessions with four different panels. The panels are made up of teachers and staff, school and District leaders, parents and caregivers, students, and community members.
Following the completion of the finalist interviews, the Board will review interview notes and the feedback provided by the community and interview panels. Next, the Board will select the candidate it intends to appoint as the next superintendent of the EWSD.
As part of the superintendent search process, the interviews with students, parents, and community members will be live-streamed on February 12. Those interviews will also be recorded and available for the public to view. Those videos and a survey will be shared with the community, who will be invited to share feedback on the candidates with the Board.
EWSD Superintendent Finalists
Dr. Mark Holodick was confirmed as Delaware’s Secretary of Education in January 2022. Before joining the Delaware Department of Education, Holodick served for two years as senior leadership specialist for the University of Delaware’s Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL). In this role, he coordinated the Governor’s Institute for School Leadership and served as lead faculty for DASL’s Principal Preparation Program. He also conducted research in collaboration with school districts and charter schools and designed and facilitated research-informed professional development for school leaders.
From 2009-2020, Holodick served as superintendent of the Brandywine School District following a long history with the District as a student, teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Prior to being named Brandywine School District’s superintendent, he was the principal at Concord High School as well as at a blended middle and high school in the Delmar School District. He has been recognized as the Delaware Association of Educational Office Professionals’ 2016 Administrator of the Year, the Delaware Association of School Librarians’ School Administrator of the Year, and by his peers as the Delaware Chief School Officers Association (DCSOA) 2017 Superintendent of the Year.
Learn more about Mark
February 12 - Interviews
Dr. Davion R. Lewis is the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at the South Bend Community School Corporation. Prior to that, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the South Bend Empowerment Zone, a micro-district of turnaround schools within the South Bend Community School Corporation created by the Indiana State Board of Education. Lewis has been an educator for the last 18 years working as a teacher, coach, administrator, board member, consultant, and adjunct professor. He also serves as a consulting Chief of Staff with vChief. As a result of his work, Lewis has been featured in various news publications and has presented at various academic conferences.
Lewis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethune-Cookman University, his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Clayton State University, his Education Specialist (Ed.S) degree in K-12 School Administration from Indiana State University, and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo. Lewis is a published author, most recently writing the Handbook of Research on Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement (IGI Global, 2022).
Learn more about Davion
February 12 - Interviews
Patricia Rodriguez recently served as the Deputy Superintendent of Austin Independent School District where she supervised six divisions including academics, school leadership, student supports, and special services for a district serving 74,000 students. Prior to this role, she served as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Aldine Independent School District where she supervised a team of 14 principals and leaders. During her tenure, she helped design and implement strategic initiatives focused on literacy and addressing inequities in student learning that led to significant increases in the district's early literacy scores from 48% to 84% within two years.
Rodriguez launched her school leadership career as an elementary principal, where she quickly realized her commitment to educational equity and ensuring that all students had access to a rich learning experience. With over 14 years dedicated to school transformation and leadership, she has held various executive leadership roles, including Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Executive Director of Leadership Development, and School Support Officer. In these roles, Rodriguez has driven academic success and built robust support systems for teachers and staff.
Learn more about Patricia
February 12 - Interviews
For more information, please visit the EWSD Superintendent search page online.