Dan is the Superintendent of Noble Local Schools, located in Sarahsville, Ohio. During his time in this role (8 years), he has created an atmosphere of continuous improvement within the district while increasing opportunities for students.
As a result, the Noble Local School District has worked tirelessly to create hope, access, and opportunities for ALL students in this rural district (289 sq miles without a stoplight). The district is now a branch campus for Zane State college, offering in excess of 125 semester hours of college credit on their Sarahsville campus, PreK offerings have been expanded serving 19 students in 2013 to now serving 126, and ALL students have access, and are engaged in robust STEM activities preparing them for a career of their choice. The Noble Local School District recently received the Ohio Department of Education’s STEM designation and is the only school in the region to have obtained this.
During his nearly 33-year career in education, Dan has served as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent, providing an experienced perspective on district operations. Dan is an active member of CORAS (Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools), Ohio Appalachian Collaborative, has served as Director of OSRC (Ohio Small Rural Collaborative), and actively participates in the JASON Learning STEM consortium, SOAR collaborative, and has also served as board president on the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Control, and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. Dan graduated from Marietta College with a BA in English (1988) and earned his MA in Educational Leadership from Ohio University in 2000.
Past AASA Ohio Superintendent of the Year Winners:
2021 Ohio Superintendent of the Year: Robert Hunt
About the Superintendent of the Year:
As a sponsor of the superintendent of the Year program, First Student wants to recognize these leaders in a special way this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption that has affected all education systems but also the innovative approaches that the superintendents and school districts addressed through radio, television, zoom and take-home packages. These superintendents are the very best in public education and are needed more than ever during this crisis.
About the Award:
The superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student and AASA, The School superintendents Association, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools.
State-level winners are selected on the following criteria:
- Leadership for Learning
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Community Involvement