Credit: FILE
Credit: FILE
The pair are scheduled to be the focus of public forums Tuesday and Wednesday in the Harman School auditorium to help decide a long-term successor to Kyle Ramey, who stepped down Dec. 31 from the superintendent post he held since 2013.
On Tuesday, staff members can attend at 3:30 p.m. and community members at 4:45 p.m. to meet with Fiori at Harman School. On Wednesday, those same groups can meet with Gupta at the same times as the previous day, the district said.
Fiori and Gupta were chosen as finalists for the job being temporarily held by Oakwood Director of Educational Services and Human Resources Allyson Couch, Oakwood officials said.
Credit: FILE
Credit: FILE
The Oakwood school board initially interviewed eight candidates before narrowing the list to three in a process that drew 23 candidates from six states.
Andy Hatton, Upper Arlington Schools associate superintendent, also met with the school board for second-round sessions last week.
The Oakwood school board wants “the best candidate to be a servant leader for our district,” board President John Wilson said in the announcement.
Fiori has been in education for 24 years, the past 18 in Beavercreek schools. She earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology, special education and elementary education from Eastern Kentucky University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Dayton.
Fiori has worked as a psychologist in Troy and Beavercreek after starting in Middletown. She has been an administrator for nine years in Beavercreek, serving as principal and director of student services before starting her current job in 2020.
“I am fortunate to have many opportunities to collaborate with staff, parents and students,” Fiori said in application letter. “Building relationships with all stakeholders is critical to successful leadership and requires two-way communication to be a priority.”
Gupta has 25 years of experience in education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Ashland University.
Starting as a math teacher in 1998, he spent six years in that job before becoming an assistant principal in 2004. Gupta has been an administrator for 19 years in Ashland, New Albany and Worthington, where he has worked since 2015.
“Through my experiences, I continue to hone my leadership by working to connect with others to ensure we have a proper understanding of the landscape, engage others along the way, and build steps to empower our community in sustaining the work with fidelity into the future,” he wrote in his letter.
The annual base salary for the top candidate is expected to be $170,000 to $190,000, but is negotiable and will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, records show.
About the Author
