Western Reserve hires new superintendent

COLLINS — Western Reserve Local Schools has a new superintendent. The board of education plans to approve a three-year contract to employ Will Snyder as its next superintendent, effective Aug. 1. Snyder is currently the middle school principal at Wapakoneta City Schools in Wapakoneta. "There are so many good things going on in the district," Snyder told Tandem Media Network. "It's an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity." Snyder and his family visited the area and "it became evident to us the district was a really strong district. I am looking forward to the opportunity to make connections and build relationships." Snyder replaces longtime leader Rodge Wilson, who will become the Director of STEM and help with the transition before his retirement in July 2023. He has served as superintendent for 14 years. Board President Dr. Scott Ommert said the board started its search in January. The board received assistance in the process from K-12 Business Consulting, Inc., a superintendent search firm. K-12 Business Consulting prepared a superintendent profile that was based on input received during six staff/community focus group sessions and from survey responses from 87 surveys. The 74 participants in the focus groups included parents, community members, teachers, administrators, support staff members and students. The board reviewed the credentials of 16 applicants, many of whom were recruited. Board interviews with six semifinal candidates were conducted on March 9 and 10. On March 22, three candidates were invited back for second round interviews. Before the board interviews, a committee of about 21 citizens and district employees had the opportunity to ask each candidate questions during a meet and greet session. Participants then offered feedback on each candidate to the board. "We had several well qualified candidates, but it came down to finding that individual who matched our leadership search profile and Will Snyder checked all of the boxes," Ommert said. "I am extremely proud of our board of education for the work that was done to get to this point as well as the community for their input." Snyder has educational leadership experiences as both principal and assistant principal at Wapakoneta City Schools. He began his teaching career as a math and science teacher for grades 5 through 8 at Dayton Van Cleve Elementary School for the Arts. He also worked as a seventh-grade math teacher at Wapakoneta Middle School. Snyder has experience providing testimony at the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee to maintain funding for INFOhio. He chaired Wapakoneta District Leadership Team's action plan providing each building with an area of focus. He created a "Life Skills" class for all middle school students. He currently serves as president of the board of directors for the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum and chaired the executive director search. Snyder is a 2000 high school graduate of Parkway Local Schools in Rockford, Ohio. He received a master's of science in educational leadership in 2011 from University of Dayton and a bachelor's of arts in middle child education in 2004 from Capital University. He completed his superintendent licensure program through the University of Dayton in 2017. Will and his wife, Kelly, currently live in Wapakoneta and are the proud parents of two children, William, a current second-grader, and Elsie, a budding preschooler. "It is both an honor and a privilege to have been named as the next superintendent of Western Reserve Schools. After visiting and researching the community, it became evident that this district values an educational leader who builds relationships, empowers staff and students and creates positive incremental change," Snyder said. "My family and I are excited to connect and invest in the Western Reserve district and the communities that it serves. Together, we will advance and strengthen the incredible and innovative work of this district by continuing the proud tradition of excellence."