Dr. Kevin McGowan has been the Superintendent of the Brighton Central School District since 2009. He began his career as an elementary teacher in the Starpoint Central School District before becoming a High School Assistant Principal at Iroquois High School and then an elementary principal at Wales Primary School. Prior to Brighton, Kevin was the Superintendent of the Warsaw Central School District in Wyoming County. He has had the great gift and honor of working in rural and suburban settings and facilitating the development of curricular and financial solutions where capacity was at all ends of the spectrum.
Kevin is a graduate of Canisius College with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Kevin completed his doctoral work in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University at Buffalo. His dissertation was selected for presentation at the graduate research conference at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Kevin has previously served as the President of the New York State Council of School Superintendents and President of the Monroe County Council of School Superintendents. Kevin is currently President of the Leadership for Educational Achievement Foundation (LEAF) and a member of the National Governing Board of the American Association of School Administrators. He is a member of the steering committee for the Levine Center, an anti-bias initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, and has served as a member of the Jewish Life Advisory Board for the Farash Institute. He is a board member of the Brighton Education Fund, Brighton Alumni Association and Brighton Chamber of Commerce. Kevin has been a member of several national, state and local committees including the College Board’s Superintendent Advisory Board, NYSCOSS legislative committee and the Commissioners Advisory Council. He has served on the United Way Campaign Cabinet and the Jewish Family Services Basic Needs Advisory Board. Kevin also has had the pleasure of being an adjunct professor in the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester where he taught, “The Politics of Education.” Kevin is an adjunct instructor for NYSSBA and the SUNY Oswego Superintendent’s Development program. He is also co-Director of the LEAF Future Superintendent’s Academy and the LEAF Blueprint Strategic Planning Service; roles that have given him the opportunity to assist other districts and leaders in developing positive Superintendent/Board of Education relationships and strategic plans.
Most importantly, Kevin proudly holds the title of husband and dad in his Brighton household. Among his three children are two sons one a high school senior who constantly reminds him of the need for more snow days, additional free periods and better school food; one in college who bemoans the same concerns from his K-12 days and a daughter in fifth grade who seems to enjoy her Dad being in her classroom slightly more than her brother dose and is generally more appreciative of his performance. His children and exceptionally supportive wife, an educator herself, help him keep perspective and focus our most important priorities; the needs of each and every child and their families.
Past AASA New York Superintendent of the Year Winners:
2022 New York Superintendent of the Year: Dr. Donna DeSiato
2021 New York Superintendent of the Year: Roberto Padilla
About the Award:
The Superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student and AASA, 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