Five finalists listed for Lorain Schools CEO

“We are truly excited about the quality and number of applicants who applied for the CEO position.”

Five finalists were announced for a chief executive officer position at Lorain City Schools.

Superintendent Dr. Jeff Graham was not among the finalists, according to a news release by Lorain Academic Distress Commission Chair Dr. Anthony Richardson.

“We are truly excited about the quality and number of applicants who applied for the CEO position,” Richardson wrote in the release. “We would like to thank Atlantic Research Partners for vetting the applicant pool and delivering such a strong, dynamic and very talented group of finalists. As we move forward, the Lorain Academic Distress Commission will continue exercising due diligence and taking all necessary precautions to assure the best candidate is selected to serve our students, families, teachers, staff and community partners.”

According to the news release the five finalists include:

• Vilicia Cade, Senior

— Lorain Academic Distress Commission Chair Dr. Anthony Richardson

Director of Secondary Curriculum & Professional Development for Christina School District in Wilmington, DE.

• David Hardy, Deputy Superintendent of Academics for Saint Louis Public Schools, Saint Louis, MO.

• James Henderson, former Associate Superintendent for Academic Supports for Saint Louis Public Schools, Saint Louis, MO.

• Lloyd Martin, former Superintendent of Schools Academy for Urban Scholars, Columbus, OH.

• Eric Thomas, Chief Support Officer for University of Virginia Darden/ Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education, Charlottesville, VA.

The application pool included 59 individuals who inquired initially about the position. Of them, 20 were female and 39 were male, according to the release.

Full application requirements were completed by 37 individuals.

The pool also included applicants from 12 states plus the District of Columbia. The majority of applicants live in Ohio, followed by Indiana, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, District of Columbia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California, New York and Utah, according to Richardson.

Graham said when he spoke with the person from the search firm, he told him that because he was the current superintendent, he was “at a distinct disadvantage.”

“For that reason I am not surprised that I am not a finalist,” Graham said.