Donald Fennoy was lately chosen as Palm Seashore County’s first African American college superintendent. Fennoy, 41, a Florida A&M College alumnus, says the job wasn’t on his “radar” however he’s excited to serve the neighborhood on this new capability.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PALM BEACH SCHOOLS
By DAPHNE TAYLOR
Particular to South Florida Instances
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Donald E. Fennoy, II, has hit a milestone in his longstanding profession as an educator. The varsity board of Palm Seashore County chosen him final week as the primary ever African American college superintendent within the Palm Seashore County college district; the primary black out of 25 prior superintendents.
The district is the Eleventh-largest within the nation with a reported 183,000 college students, a $2.9 billion finances and 22,000 staff. It’s the biggest employer in Palm Seashore County.
However Fennoy minimized the importance of the achievement, preferring to emphasize his assist for all college students, no matter race, creed or nationality.
“I don’t lead from the thought of my race. I wish to see wonderful academic alternatives for all youngsters,” he informed the Solar Sentinel.
The varsity board chairman, Chuck Shaw, mentioned the board clearly made the appropriate alternative in deciding on Fennoy, who was one in all three finalists. Fennoy has been the district’s chief working officer since Might 2016. He at present supervises college police, transportation, meals service, upkeep, planning, environmental providers and enterprise variety packages.
The three finalists had been all interviewed March 7, and the board made its alternative a couple of hours later. “Our Faculty District has made large strides prior to now three years, reaching historic commencement charges whereas narrowing the achievement hole,” mentioned Shaw. “The Board is assured in Dr. Fennoy’s means to proceed that momentum, and construct upon the necessary work mapped out in our District’s strategic plan.”
Fennoy was beforehand a senior space superintendent in Fulton County, Ga., colleges, a highschool principal in Charlotte, N.C., and a instructor and assistant principal in Orlando. He labored his means up from an elementary college instructor. Fennoy had been beneath the shadow of his mentor, Robert Avossa, for fairly a while. Avossa, the outgoing superintendent, introduced Fennoy right here when he arrived from Atlanta a number of years in the past. Avossa stunned everybody this yr by saying his retirement because the district’s superintendent on the finish of this college yr.
He’ll now work within the personal sector.
And now Fennoy will step into his mentor’s sneakers.
“This neighborhood is great, I’ve had an awesome expertise, I’ve realized rather a lot and the those that I’ve labored with are wonderful,” Fennoy mentioned after getting the excellent news about his choice. “I look ahead to persevering with our strategic plan and I’m enthusiastic about working with this workforce.
Everyone seems to be so passionate in regards to the youngsters on this District, and I’m too. Colleges are constructed for the aim of teaching our kids and that’s our job, interval.”
Fennoy’s present place oversees college security, so he was requested his stance on security following the bloodbath at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive in Parkland a number of weeks in the past. “I believe earlier than Parkland, I believe a number of us had been complacent,” he mentioned, including that his present function working with safety and facility groups provides him a leg up on this space. He mentioned it’s a troublesome difficulty, however a private one since he has youngsters who’re college students within the district.
That can be one of many issues the board members favored about Fennoy: he and his spouse are mother and father of school-aged youngsters in Palm Seashore County, due to this fact, he “will get it,” mentioned Shaw. “He understands what each father or mother goes by each single morning, all these challenges,” Shaw reiterated.
Fennoy says he’s as much as the problem, although this place was not instantly on his record of issues to realize. “So this was by no means on my radar,” Fennoy informed the media at a information convention proper after the vote was handed down.
Fennoy graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1999 with a level in Elementary Training. He earned a Grasp’s diploma in Instructional Management and Doctorate in Instructional Management and Administration from the College of Central Florida. Whereas serving as a highschool principal in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Colleges, the highschool led by Fennoy acquired the Nationwide Faculty Change Award. This honor is introduced yearly to 6 colleges in the USA which have demonstrated the best tutorial turnaround in a two-year interval. Fennoy then moved to Baltimore in 2010, the place he led the Maryland workplace of New Leaders for New Colleges. He additionally served as a Senior Space Superintendent for the Fulton County Faculty System in Atlanta for 4 years earlier than turning into Chief Working Officer of the Palm Seashore County Faculty District in Might 2016. Fennoy’s new wage might be between $250,000 and $300,000 and might be finalized this week.
He and his spouse Kendra are the mother and father of two youngsters.
