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The Switzerland of Ohio Local School District has a new superintendent.
After an executive session of close to two hours Tuesday evening, the board unanimously named Rob Caldwell, who was interim superintendent, to the position. His yearly salary of $106,000 will remain the same.
Caldwell had served as assistant superintendent under Jeff Greenley, who left this past February to serve as superintendent of Belpre School District.
He said he brings more than 30 years of experience in education, having taught and coached in West Virginia for 20 years, then came to Switzerland as an administrator in 2012, working as a principal at River Elementary, then River High School before becoming assistant superintendent.
"I'd like to thank the board for having the faith and trust in me," he said.
"I was born and raised in this district, I graduated from this district. I graduated from River High School," he said. "After college, I got into education, and I've been an educator ever since."
Caldwell is a lifelong resident of Powhatan Point. He is married to Lori Caldwell and his daughters, Candace and Camryn, both attend River High School.
He said he was inspired by his educators and coaches at an early age. He has earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership Administration. He added that he decided to pursue education closer to home as his family grew.
"I wanted to come back over because my daughters were in school," he said. "I wanted to be on their schedule."
Caldwell added that he has strong connections to the area.
"I have a lot of relatives and a lot of friends throughout this district, not just on the riverfront but in the Woodsfield area and the Bellsville area," he said. "A lot of people in this district, they know me, they know what I'm about. They know I'm an advocate of education. Education starts at home, and we are here to reinforce."
Caldwell said that while his door is always open, he is confident in the district staff.
"I'm not a hands-on type person. The people I have under me, I want them to feel comfortable to do what they do best. If they have questions and concerns, they know that they can come to me," he said. "I don't feel I need to micromanage. We have a veteran administrative team here. We have a veteran staff."
He said the future will hold more promising opportunities for students, including new options in the Swiss Hills Career Center in Woodsfield.
"We're making major strides in the field of vocational education. We're doing a lot of work down at Swiss Hills. We're creating new programs. I think it's going to create a lot of interest in our students," Caldwell said, adding that there are more opportunities to earn multiple certifications.
"We added the heavy equipment out there, starting next year. We've done major upgrades to the welding department. We've upgraded the cosmetology. We're doing robotics. The list goes on and on. … I thank the board for investing over $3 million in upgrades to the facility … within the past year."
He added that he may fill the assistant superintendent's position by this summer.
A full board of Denise Riley, Jerry Gust, Ronald Winkler, Bev Anderson and Board President Sarah Smith approved Caldwell's appointment.
"Rob is going to be a wonderful addition as leader of our district, and will provide stability and vision," Riley said.
"He's done his time, and we're looking forward to working with him to get things done," Gust said.
Smith added that Caldwell enjoys a high level of support from the administration and staff.
"There's a lot of good things happening," Smith said. "From our career tech to our special ed, there's good things happening in the district, and he's been part of it."