superintendent of the year nominations

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Sponsors

Daniel Keenan

First Name: Daniel Last Name: Keenan School District: Westlake City Schools Address 1: 27200 Hiliard Blvd Address 2: City: Westlake

State: OH Zip: 44145

Education: Cleveland State University - Ph.D. Education Administration; Superintendent Licensure - Aug 2000 to May 2005 Franciscan University of Steubenville - Principal and Assistant Superintendent Licensure - May 1995 to Aug 1996 Purdue University - M.S., Education Administration, Gifted Education minor - May 1993 to May 1995 Purdue University - B.S., Education, Elementary (1-8) and Secondary Science Certification (7-12) - Aug 1988 to May 1993

Administrative Experience: Superintendent - Westlake City Schools - Aug 2007

Assistant Superintendent - Kenston Local Schools - Aug 2002 to Jul 2007 Director of Personnel - Maple Heights City Schools - Aug 2000 to Jul 2002 High School Assistant Principal - Maple Heights High School - Aug 1999 to Jul 2000

School District Type: suburban Enrollment: 4075 Grade span: PK-12 Description:

The Westlake City School District serves approximately 4,000 public school students in the suburb of Westlake, Ohio. Westlake is located at the western edge of Cuyahoga County approximately twenty miles from Cleveland. The school district consists of four neighborhood elementary schools (three K-4 elementary schools and a PK-4 elementary school), an intermediate school for grades 5 and 6, a 7-8 middle school and our high school. The district has earned local, state, and national recognition for exceptional achievements in academics, music, visual & performing arts, athletic performance and student service. Memberships and offices held in professional organizations: Martha Holden Jenning Foundation - Distribution Committee Member - The Alliance for High Quality Education - Exectutive Board Member - SMART Consoritium - Executive Board Member (Science & Math Achievement Required for

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Tomorrow) - BASA/AASA - Greater Cleveland School Superintendent's Association -

Professional development activities: International Baccalaureate Conference of the Americas - Jul 2013 Martha Holden Jennings Retreat (annually) - Jul 2005 AASA National Conference (5 of last 6 years) - Ohio School Boards Association Conference (annually) - Nov 2001 BASA workshops (new superintendent, school finance workshops) -

Publications/Articles/Presentations: Panel Presenter - Ohio International Baccalaureate (IB) Spring Conference 2013 - Ohio School Boards Conference Presenter – Public Records and Superintendent Position - Keynote speaker – Kiwanis Salute to Excellence, Westlake Kiwanis - Presentation – Greater Cleveland Education Development Center – “Leading Change in Schools” - Published – Article on secondary building leadership – Education Spectrum Winter 2003 - Community Leadership: Westlake-Bay Village Rotary, Club inbound student exchange counselor - Westlake Kiwanis, Executive Board Member - Westshore Chamber of Commerce - Board of Trustees - Baldwin-Wallace University and and Kent State University- Master of Education Advisory committee Honors and Awards: District awarded $100,000 grant from Ohio Local Government Innovation Grant for International Baccalaureate Diploma Program - Jan 2013 Cleveland State University Distinguished Alumni Recipient - Oct 2012 Westlake Council of PTAS – Founder’s Day Helping Hands Educator Award - Feb 2011 District awarded $350,000 grant for STEM middle school Program of Excellence - Jan 2009 AASA – Education Administrative Scholarship Award (Paul Salmon Scholarship)– One of six nationally - Feb 2002 Leadership for Learning: The mission of the Westlake City Schools states, "We Educate for Excellence...empowering students to reach their educational goals, direct their lives and contribute to society." The expectation in Westlake is that all students demonstrate exceptional achievement and growth. While our district has earned state and nationally recognized academic success as a whole, it was clear after a thorough review of our data that our work with our students with disabilities (SWD) provided an opportunity for improvement. We believe our commitment to developing a sound Response to Intervention (RTI) approach has resulted in increased growth and higher achievement for this sub group. and Educational Administration Advisory Council - St. Ladislas Church - 40 year anniversary committee -

During the 2009-10 school year we examined our state and local test data with over 120 stakeholders during the development of our district’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP). Through the CIP

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development process we identified the priority of providing effective reading instruction and strong, researched based interventions for our students with disabilities relative to our mission. We believe that both the cultural change and changes in practice resulting from our commitment to developing a sound Response to Intervention (RTI) approach, have been the keys to closing the district level gap and to ensuring increased growth and achievement for this sub group. Teachers have undergone extensive staff development; been engaged in targeted collaboration; developed an effective core approach to instruction; adjusted instruction as a result of formative assessment; and have been provided more support to address students' needs as part of this change. Over the past three years we have seen the reading proficiency improve for our SWD sub group by 10.4%. Specifically, scores improved from 64.7% in 2010 to 75% in 2011 and 75.4% in 2012. We have seen the greatest gains from students who were scoring at the lowest levels. In 2010, 11.4% of our SWD sub group scored "Below Basic" in reading, the lowest level. This improved by 2.7% when 8.7% scored "Below Basic" in 2011. In 2012 improvement was made again. This time we saw a 3.4% improvement when 5.3% scored at the "Below Basic" level. Through RTI, effective practice and a changing culture we have cut the percentage of students scoring below basic more than in half (from 11.4% to 5.3%) in three years. We are encouraged about the opportunity to make even greater improvement by continually improving on our RTI approach to target students’ needs. A snapshot of our RTI process starts with supporting the students first through the strengths of the general classroom teacher. We recognized the need for a consistent common classroom, or Tier I, instructional approach that really targeted the skills necessary to improve reading fluency and comprehension. Therefore, we trained the entire PK-8 group of general classroom and reading teachers to support students with the use of Wilson's Fundations as well as a number of other research-based reading interventions to complement our core reading instruction. For students that need a more intensive classroom intervention, we also trained a number of teachers in the comprehensive Wilson Reading Program. Specialists were reassigned to spend much more time assisting in the general classroom as opposed to being pulled out to tutor small numbers of students on a frequent basis. They also spend time training our staff in instructional nuances that can be used to support their core instruction. All of our PK-8 classroom teachers have also been trained to use the AIMsWeb as a benchmark assessment and progress monitoring tool. Collaborative time was established so that twice a week teachers can evaluate student progress together and use their collective strengths to plan for improvement. After a benchmark assessments, teachers review data and identify students not making necessary progress. The classroom teacher then examines instructional approaches and decides which research-based classroom interventions may be utilized. The student is then assessed, or monitored, more frequently between benchmark assessment periods to provide the teacher critical information to aide her efforts. If progress is not made in a manner that closes the gap by the next benchmark assessment a more intensive intervention can be considered by the RTI team. Teachers are encouraged by the RTI team approach because they can collectively harness their strengths to serve students and can see how their efforts are making a difference. It encourages best practice instruction, proper use of formative assessment, and more powerful professional collaboration. Students are encouraged because they are given specific strategies to improve and which are suited to their needs as opposed to what used to be most prevalent in the world of intervention, just more work for longer periods of time. Most importantly, we are getting closer to our goal of having all students learn to read at a high level.

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We have also come to realize that the addition of a Positive Behavioral Instructional Supports (PBIS) system is a necessary part of the RTI approach. It ensures that we are targeting the right approach to best see our students succeed. Consequently, we have spent time working to improve our school and classroom environments so that the right procedures and structures are in place to support our students in their effort to be ready to learn. Over the past three years, we have adopted the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile attributes as a key component of our school-wide PBIS system and to complement our classroom Tier I PBIS supports. Ongoing training has taken place for specific classroom behavioral interventions that are becoming more and more integrated in our RTI approach through assessment and collaboration. These supports are utilized in the same manner as academic interventions and often hold the key for students who need assistance focusing their efforts on the learning process. In order to guarantee our mission applies to all students, our district continues to have a continuous improvement mindset. We are committed to understanding the results our students show and taking actions to see the next steps for improvement are put in place. As a result, we can best make certain all of our students are meeting their potential. Comparing sub groups of students allows us to prevent students from falling through the cracks. The Response to Intervention (RTI) approach provides the right support for teachers and the right focus on the students. We believe this focus has led to the type of change that supports our mission and has helped us close gaps in student performance. Throughout last school year, we celebrated a number of student achievements that we believe showed the results from this approach. The National Blue Ribbon Schools award recognizes schools producing outstanding results for all students. National Blue Ribbon Schools have demonstrated consistent excellence, and in many cases, have made progress and closed gaps in student achievement. In February of 2013, only eleven of Ohio's schools were honored with that distinction. Two schools from Westlake, Hilliard Elementary School and Bassett Elementary School, were named National Blue Ribbon Schools. As a school district we met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), we exceeded a year's growth as measured by Value-Added, and improved our Performance Index for student achievement to 107.9. Our last three State Report Cards are attached as artifacts to support the data provided in this response. Also attached are the fall and spring district updates demonstrating the type of Leadership for Learning that takes place here in Westlake. We have seen great improvement in student achievement and growth because of our RTI approach and we believe that continued efforts will lead to even better results. Communication The first step to clearly communicating the purpose of the district is to ensure high involvement of all constituencies in defining the mission, vision, and strategic plan. In Westlake, our strategic plan is called the Continuous Improvement Plan or CIP. The Westlake City School District has developed and utilized a Continuous Improvement Plan since the fall of 1999 to serve as a guide for educators, support staff, students and their families, people in business, higher education institutions and community members about the process of achieving and measuring improvements in the district’s performance. Our most current CIP (attached) is the sixth edition. It communicates not only the purpose of our district, but answers four fundamental questions. What do we want for our students? Where do we want our schools to be in the next three years? How will we get there? How will we know we were successful?

The information in the CIP is presented in a differentiated format suited for stakeholders with different

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purposes. The first section is established for those wanting a quick picture of the district’s purpose and long term goals. The second section more specifically defines performance indicators that answer how stakeholders will know if our goals have been met. The third section details specific actions or tasks (what will be done); assigned responsibility for each task (who will do it); determined costs and allocated resources (how we will support it); and the established start and completion dates (when it will be done). In order to address the diverse backgrounds of those involved, a glossary was developed so the vocabulary used was consistently understood by all involved. Both long-term purpose and short-term goals are made crystal clear in the CIP. To better involve diverse members of the community our most recent CIP process was built around a new approach for the district. Facilitators from Case Western Reserve University teamed up to engage the district in a process called Appreciative Inquiry to develop the 2010-2013 Continuous Improvement Plan. The model had been used by district partners such as the Cleveland Clinic and the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to develop bold goals and solid plans to support those goals. The district committed to the process in an effort to engage a broader group of stakeholders and to stretch goals in an effort to redefine excellence in Westlake. As a result, many were engaged at various stages to provide input, culminating with an Education Summit in June, where the entire community was invited to participate. Over one hundred people were involved in developing the new plan in various stages including students, corporate and higher education partners, civic leaders, parents/community members, teachers, support staff, administration and all five members of the Board of Education. The CIP Core Team planned for a thirty-six member representative steering committee to engage in the appreciative inquiry process in March. This set the stage for a day and a half Summit in June for the greater community, where one hundred and nine community members helped define the critical components that characterize excellence in Westlake. The former Executive Director of Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center, Dr. Julian Earls, was the keynote speaker, and all groups had a forum to provide input on capitalizing on our strengths to ensure Westlake builds on the strong tradition of excellence established over the years. A committee of nineteen then took the ideas generated from the Summit to write several drafts of the new CIP. These drafts were then reviewed by additional Summit participants via who expressed an interest in providing input during the draft process. Lastly, a staff group was called to review the tasks, responsibilities, resources, and timeline portion of the plan to ensure they were clearly defined and provided the right guidance and structure to achieve the CIP goals. An auditing component is an integral part of ensuring the plan is utilized effectively. A representative stakeholder group from the Summit reviews the plan and progress twice annually. Additionally, the plan is reviewed on a regular basis internally and utilized when making all district decisions. Our entire district communication plan is styled to make sure that with every mailing, email, newsletter and presentation, our mission is clear and our actions are consistent with the values of our community as defined through this process. The communications themselves are important, but the key to effective communication is to make sure it is two-way. High involvement in the CIP and district decisions is what makes our communication and plan work best for our students.

Professionalism

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A continuous improvement mindset starts from a belief that it is important to combine recognizing strengths with the identifying the next steps for improvement. This provides the best opportunity to improve and grow. Evaluations are most effective when they are used to reinforce what is done well and to plan for continued improvement. To support this important perspective, our evaluation processes for both teachers and administrators have long been tied to meeting the goals defined by our district’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP). We have continued to refine our process by identifying needs via data taken from CIP audits. Over the past two years we have read and reflected on how to incorporate research-based practice to improve student learning and growth in order to improve in those areas, particularly for students with disabilities and those who are second language learners All building teachers and administrators were provided with Jan Chappuis’ Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning and asked to consider how more effective formative assessment can drive improved instruction and consequently student achievement and growth. Staff development, collaborative time, and committee work has taken place to support this effort. Numerous district and State data sets are examined annually and incorporated into our evaluation pre- planning and results. Annually teachers and administrators develop and adopt their own professional goals along with professional goals mutually developed with their supervisors relative to our CIP. The goals have been part of a continuous improvement process centered on our CIP. We have continued to refine our evaluation system in conjunction with these actions as part of our integrated approach to see that our mission to educate for excellence is the focus. Each year we target our evaluation goals by using data and discussion and making sure the results are measureable. Our current plan to incorporate the new Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) and Ohio Principal Evaluation System (OPES) was developed around the same core purpose, our district mission. Throughout the 2011-12 school year a committee of teachers and administrators met to thoroughly understand the new evaluation systems and to incorporate them here in Westlake in a manner that best supports our mission to Educate for Excellence. As a pilot process, principals adopted goals consistent with the OPES format this past year and worked to document evidence in a manner consistent with the new requirements. By emphasizing a laser-like focus on our core purpose we have worked to see the continued refinements taking place that are purposeful as we make sure our process is consistent with the State formats. We have long used student data to measure achievement and growth as well as to establish the next steps for improvement. The State testing data required by OPES and OTES complements our previous work to see that we improve. It also resulted in deeper reflection on the way we monitor the progress of students. Consequently, additional ways to monitor progress have been incrementally instituted over the past three years so we can better determine how to make gains in these areas. Staff development has taken place at the teacher and administrative level to learn the state rubrics and to plan to attain the highest levels. We have worked hard to make sure we utilize this as an opportunity for improved communication on expectations and to point out how the rubrics criteria mesh exceptionally well with our CIP goals, Response to Intervention (RTI) approach, and mission. The component of student results data will only be a change in the fact that Ohio requires this to now be 50% of the evaluation. We have long used student results as part of our evaluation and conferences. We have centered our professional work on improving results and expect to utilize the evaluation as another tool to effectively reach our goals. Community Involvement As superintendent of schools it has been important to be very active in taking action to respond to cuts to our budgets by working with our legislators and my professional organizations to ensure targeted

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solutions exist to address budget challenges. During the last two biennium budget periods we have worked closely with the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and The Alliance for High Quality Education to advocate for policy that supports public schools. Our district became particularly immersed with BASA, the Alliance for High Quality Education, our Ohio Representative and Senator last biennium to propose a cap solution to the Governor’s proposed budget cuts that more equitably addressed the budget shortfall. While significant cuts were still made, our district went from an originally proposed cut of 76% in state funding to an amount less than 25%. I have advocated at the national level through participation in professional surveys and involvement in AASA, but admittedly the bulk of my time has been spent on keeping our district focused and participating heavily at the local and state levels. We work to provide excellent schools at an exceptional value. To do this it is imperative that all in Westlake understand and support our mission. Taking action in response to things like budget cuts doesn’t start when the cuts happen. Action actually begins by involving the community in the development of our Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) which defines our purpose, values, beliefs, mission and vision. When considering action to respond to resource challenges, the critical decisions necessary must align with the purpose of the school district and the values of the community. We have found that because of our CIP process community stakeholders are more personally connected with decisions of the district due to their high involvement in the development of district goals and priorities. Last biennium we made approximately $4.2 million in reductions over a two year period to account for state budget cuts. During that time we also managed to add world language at the elementary school level and pre-engineering classes at the middle school level. Additionally, all four elementary buildings began the process of earning accreditation as International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools. To accomplish these things at a time of declining revenue we visited our budget challenges along with our CIP commitments publically at Board meetings and special meetings and developed a plan to make cuts and provide outside revenue to best stay on course with our mission during these troubled times. Changes in class sizes, combining sections of level 5 and AP classes and elimination of electives considered less of a priority are examples of some of the collective sacrifices agreed to in order to help. Clearly, adjustments of that magnitude could not have been made without understanding our priorities through community involvement and thinking innovatively. Through the process of working publically to address our challenges, opportunities emerged and we were able to better utilize all of our community resources in the form of significant partnerships, grants, consortiums, shared services, advertising, and the use of community volunteers. Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma at Westlake High School. Our CIP identified the need for our students to be Internationally Competitive, Capable, Engaged and Experienced as a priority, so it determined the importance that we continue to work to make this happen despite major budget reductions. Several non- traditional measures were taken to accomplish this goal that we consider innovative. After learning of the cuts at the state level and realizing we would not have the funds to continue our pursuit as planned, we called a meeting with a number of other school districts who expressed similar interests in pursuing the IB Diploma Programme. From that meeting three other districts agreed to partner with us to form a consortium so that students from all four high schools could earn the IB diploma. This partnership allowed the cost to be divided evenly between the four districts. We then sought assistance from Perhaps our best example of a successful innovative action in response to budget cuts has been our effort to continue moving forward to provide our students an opportunity to earn an International

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Nordson Corporation who is headquartered in Westlake and had been supportive of our efforts to implement the IB Programme. Nordson agreed to pay the cost of the IB Coordinator through a sponsorship further reducing the cost. We met again with our partner districts and asked all to seek sponsorships and write grants and to contribute to the group to drive down the cost for the entire consortium. The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation approved a grant for $40,000 and another district was able to secure a small sponsorship. Our district applied for a grant from the Governor’s new initiative to support innovative programs. The International Baccalaureate Diploma program project at Westlake High School was one of only 39 projects chosen for funding from the State’s Local Government Innovation Fund. The $100,000 grant was awarded for our efforts to share resources with neighboring districts. This very competitive grant was not limited to school districts, but any government entity. Only four schools received Innovative grants. After securing approximately $160,000 in outside funds to help support the IB Programme, each district paid less than $9,000 to participate. While the HS IB project was likely our most innovative action taken, a number of other partnerships, grants, consortiums, shared services, advertising opportunities and community volunteer efforts have helped support our pursuit of Educating for Excellence while accounting for major budget cuts. Our district worked through our CIP process to develop a partnership advisory committee. This committee continues to ensure better partnerships through establishing an understanding of how our relationships with community and regional entities can be mutually beneficial. We continually seek out other non-traditional avenues to better utilize resources. Examples include: • Participating in a Suburban Healthcare Consortium to reduce health insurance costs; • Using purchasing cooperatives for significant savings on: bus purchases, natural gas, telephone/email notification discounts, fiber installation, internet connectivity, fiscal/library services, Power School, web filter equipment, software purchases, insurance premiums, vocational programming,transportation consolidation, and alternative school programming. • Being attentive to other forms of savings as demonstrated through having recently been recognized by Ohio School Plan (OSP) with the Best Practices Award for our its efforts in actively controlling risk. While taking action because of budget cuts has never been easy, ours have been better instituted because of the clear direction provided through our CIP process. Our community knows the all decisions, particularly the tough ones, are made as part of our best effort to utilize the resources available to best meet our district’s purpose and goals.

Nominations:

Vice president Board of Education

Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. will be an excellent National Superintendent of the Year for 2014 because of his leadership within our school district as well as his work advocating for our district and public schools statewide. His ability to give life to our school district’s mission statement and his ability to help our

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stakeholders to find the mission’s relevance in all of the district’s work provides a solid foundation for his leadership. Whether it is in the classroom or custodial office; driving a bus or taking lunch money, setting policy or coaching soccer; campaigning for a bond issue or building schools, our mission: We Educate for Excellence...Empowering all students to achieve their educational goals, to direct their lives and to contribute to society guides Dr. Keenan’s work and therefore the work of our staff. Dr. Keenan does this through his strong, transforming leadership and ability to lead not only individuals, but also the organization as a whole. Above all, when he refers to our mission, he doesn’t merely focus on the “Excellence,” but more importantly for our over four-thousand students, he focuses on the “All Students” ensuring that our policies, programs, and procedures provide all of our students with opportunities to be challenged, supported, and successful in their goals. His strong sense of personal and professional ethics guides his work at all levels. Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. has proven himself to be a visible and dedicated member of our school community and the community at large. From the moment that the board of education offered him a contract in June of 2007, Dr. Keenan became a part of the Westlake community. He immediately moved his family to Westlake because he knew that if he wanted the community to be invested in and proud of the schools, then he must be totally invested in the community. If it involves the classroom, Dr. Keenan wants the students, families and staff to take ownership of their classroom, their education and their future. If it involves the physical plant, Dr. Keenan again wants the families and staff to take ownership, but he insures that the community as a whole is informed, involved and invested as well. He does all of this by being available, night or day, to any community or staff member who wishes to find out more, or offer suggestions and opinions. When one meets with Dr. Keenan, one walks away knowing that his or her concern or suggestion has been heard and will be considered. One also knows that Dr. Keenan will accept any help that can be provided. This occurs because Dr. Keenan knows that it is the community that will continue to make the schools excellent. When Dr. Keenan was hired in Westlake, the board had two initial goals: first, he MUST maintain the excellence of education that had become synonymous with the Westlake City School District and second, he MUST review and develop a plan to address the failing buildings in the district. Educationally, our community expects the schools to educate for excellence and offer top rated programming to all students. However, with a continually growing list of unfunded mandates and state budget cuts, it requires the hand of a surgeon to cut and piece together a feasible budget that maintains the award winning programs that our community expects while implementing new initiatives that enhance student opportunities and achievement. In fact, during Dr. Keenan's tenure, the Westlake City Schools have achieved its highest state performance rating five of his six years, including last year when our performance rating was the highest in school district history. While both are daunting tasks, they are so for different reasons.

The school facilities situation was daunting for other reasons. Because we were consistently highly rated educationally, community members and parents tended to overlook the condition of our school

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buildings. Dr. Keenan masterfully found cost savings and efficiencies in the delivery of programming, usage of supplies, and administrative costs. However, while his leadership resulted in improved programs, student achievement, and performance by state and national standards, addressing a deteriorating physical plant would require the influx of new funds. During the economic downturn of 2008, the worst experienced in the lives of many of our community members, Dr. Keenan worked collaboratively with our CFO, business manager and other central office staff to compile the necessary data regarding potential costs and needs. He then began the work of engaging the community, businesses, parents, school board, staff and students in defining the magnitude of our facilities problem and in crafting a solution. After more than eighteen months of study, planning, and community involvement, Dr. Keenan recommended that the Westlake board of education place an $84 million bond issue on the ballot. Normally such a hefty bond issue during such a poor economic time would be soundly defeated. However, due to Dr. Keenan's planning and engagement of the entire community, the bond issue passed by a ten-point margin. This fall our new high school and middle school will welcome our seventh through twelfth grade students. Our renovated intermediate school will open the following year for our fifth and sixth graders. These new and renovated buildings will allow the Westlake City Schools to continue offering the excellent education for which we are known in a safer, warmer, and dryer learning environment, as well as expanding student opportunities to utilize the technology that a newer infrastructure will allow and that our old buildings could not accommodate. Dr. Keenan’s ability to envision the possibilities for our facilities, to work collaboratively with his staff and board, to engage and involve the community, and to continue with high expectations for our staff and students during the bond vote and facility upgrades, makes him an exceptionally strong superintendent and leader. Dr. Keenan’s success on both of the initial board directives is the result of his "open door" policy and his ability to engage and involve all stakeholders in the continuous work of improving all aspects of our educational program, literally and figuratively from the ground up! A community and a school board cannot ask for more, yet Dr. Keenan supplies it. Heading a school district is work that is wrought with complexities. He approaches them all with a positive attitude tempered by the realism that his experience provides. When faced with staggering state budget cuts and changes in state law that negatively impacted our school district he has advocated with and continues to meet directly with our state lawmakers, including other school district leaders in a collaborative approach when appropriate and as a district alone when necessary. When faced with a loss by only forty- four votes on our latest levy vote in May, he was already strategizing next steps the morning after the election. The Westlake City School community is proud and fortunate to have Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. as our superintendent. It is for the reasons above that Dr. Keenan is deserving of the title of 2014 Superintendent of the Year.

We appreciate your consideration.

Mr. Thomas Mays, president Westlake Board of Education Ms. Carol Winter, vice-president Westlake Board of Education Mr. Mark Pepera, CFO and Treasurer, Westlake City School District

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Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. - Professional Service and Community Involvement: 2012- present Kent State University- Educational Administration Advisory Council 2012 Cleveland State University - Semester instructor ADM 652 – Bus. Mgmt & Facilities 2011-present Westlake-Bay Village Rotary, 4-way speech contest co-coordinator 2010-present Baldwin-Wallace College Master of Education Advisory committee 2010-present Martha Holden Jennings Foundation grant distribution committee 2010-present Westlake-Bay Village Rotary, Club inbound student exchange counselor 2009-2011 SMART Consortium, Executive Board Member (Science & Math Consortium) 2008-2009 Martha Holden Jennings Teaching Excellence Award selection committee (Sci & Math) 2007-2011 Westlake Education Foundation, Board Member 2007-present Westlake Kiwanis, Executive Board Member 2007-2009 2007-present West Shore Chamber of Commerce – Board of Trustees Member 2007 Chagrin Falls Park Community Center (Kenston District), Advisory Board Member 2006-2007 District Representative, Community Partnerships for Youth CP4Y 2005-2007 Member, Bainbridge Civic Club 2003-2007 Chair, Kenston Business Advisory Council 2003-2007 Chair, Mission/Vision Committee 2003-2007 Chair, Board of Education Sub-committees-Curriculum, Policy, Business Advisory 2004-2007 Adjunct Professor, Ashland University 2002-2007 Coordinator, Kenston School Mentoring Program 2002-2005 Member, Kenston Local LPDC Committee 2000-2002 Oversee the Maple Heights City Schools Alternate School Program 2000-2002 Member, Continuous Improvement Planning Team Maple Heights City Schools 1999-2000 Chair, Maple Hts. High School North Central Accreditation Planning Committee 1999-2000 Member, NCA external team at Cleveland South High School 1998-1999 Chair, NCA steering committee for Steubenville High School 1998-1999 Member, School Improvement Committee for Steubenville High School

Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. - Professional Organizations: 2012-present Alliance for High Quality Education – Executive Board Member 2007-present Greater Cleveland School Superintendent’s Association 2000-present AASA – American Association of School Administrators 2000-present ASCD – Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 2000-present BASA – Buckeye Association of School Administrators 1995-2003 Phi Delta Kappa 1990-1995 Kappa Delta Pi Educational Honorary Society

Selected Awards, Recognition, Presentations - Dr. Daniel J. Keenan Jr. : 2013 Panel Presentation – Ohio International Baccalaureate Conference 2013 District Awarded second $40,000 grant for International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program 2012 District awarded $100,000 grant from Ohio Local Government Innovation Grant for International Baccalaureate Diploma Program 2012 Cleveland State University Distinguished Alumni Recipient 2011 Westlake Council of PTAS – Founder’s Day Helping Hands Educator Award 2011 District awarded $40,000 grant for International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program

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2010 Part of successful Bond issue Campaign –Westlake City Schools $84 million facility project 2009 Ohio School Boards Conference Presenter – Public Records and Superintendent Position 2009 Published as Co-Author District Administration Magazine – Minding Your email 2008 District awarded $350,000 grant for STEM middle school Program of Excellence 2008 Featured speaker – Kiwanis Salute to Excellence, Westlake Kiwanis 2008 Keynote speaker – West Shore Chamber of Commerce – “State of the Westlake City Schools” 2007 Presentation – Cleveland State University – “Value-Added Measures for Ohio Schools” 2006 Presentation – Leadership Geauga – “Technology to Enhance the Curriculum” 2006 Presentation – Greater Cleveland Ed. Development Center – “Leading Change in Schools” 2006 Presentation – Geauga County Ed. Service Center – “Change in Secondary Schools” 2003 Graduate – Leadership Geauga 2003 Published – Article on secondary building leadership – Education Spectrum Winter 2003 2002 AASA – Education Administrative Scholarship Award– One of six nationally 1996 Golden Apple Nominee – Teaching Award for Tippecanoe County, IN 1993 Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Award – Scholar Athlete Award 1993 Co-Captain Purdue Varsity Wrestling Team and earned fourth varsity letter in wrestling 1992 Kappa Delta Pi Honorary Society 1991-93 3X Academic All-Big Ten Wrestler (Purdue University) 1988 Appointment to United States Naval Academy 1988 Ohio Division II State Wrestling Champion 189 lbs. 1987 Ohio Division II A.P. All-State Linebacker and Ohio Eastern District Lineman of the Year

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