The Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) is pleased to announce the OASD School Board's selection of Dr. Kristen Taylor as the new Interim Superintendent of the Oconomowoc Area School District. Dr. Taylor has served the OASD as the Director of Human Resources for the last three years, demonstrating her leadership and innovative thinking to cultivate a workplace that attracts, develops, and retains high quality staff.
In addition to her human resources experience with the OASD, Dr. Taylor served as the Director of Human Resources at the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District for 10 years. She also served as a staffing specialist for four years, a science curriculum specialist in Milwaukee Public Schools for four years, a mathematics and science resource teacher for four years, and a K-8 classroom teacher for eleven years.
Dr. Taylor's qualifications expand beyond K-12 education to the collegiate level where she acted as the Director of Clinical Placements at UW-Milwaukee, leading a large federal grant project developing culturally responsive teaching practices. She continues to teach administrative leadership courses for future principals and superintendents in school law and educational personnel administration and supervision at UW-Milwaukee. Taylor holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master's degree in administrative leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a bachelor's degree in elementary education and music education from Concordia University-Mequon.
"The school board's selection of Dr. Kristen Taylor as Oconomowoc Area School District's Interim Superintendent is a big win for our schools and for our community. Kristen displayed intelligence, candor, a deep understanding of our community's values, and a passion for the work of our strategic plan throughout the selection process. The stability she brings to this role is an asset not only to our leaders and staff but to the board and the community as we endeavor to attract a high-quality permanent superintendent to our district," said OASD School Board President, James Wood, about the selection of Dr. Taylor.
The selection of Dr. Taylor concludes a process that began in March when the board partnered with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) to conduct the search for an Interim Superintendent. WASB hosted several focus groups in April with OASD families, community members, the School Board, and OASD staff. The School Board hosted two rounds of interviews over the past few weeks before reaching the decision to offer the position to Dr. Taylor.
In the focus group sessions, OASD families, staff members, and community members identified several important characteristics for our Interim Superintendent including the ability to engage staff in the goals of the OASD strategic plan; to act as a listening-first leader who is collaborative and partnership-oriented; to possess the skills to nurture an effective Board-Superintendent relationship with knowledge about board governance and appropriate Board and Superintendent roles and responsibilities; to understand the needs of our students, families, and staff - with a particular focus on the unique mental health needs of these groups - as we move beyond the challenges of the pandemic to unite around the success of our students and district.
Dr. Taylor has the leadership experience and familiarity with our district to accomplish these goals during her interim position. In addition to her qualifications for the position, she will have the unique ability to assist the district and School Board in the search for our permanent Superintendent, then return to her Human Resources role, creating a smooth transition for our staff and acting as a resource for our permanent Superintendent.
In her acceptance of the position, Dr. Taylor said, "I am honored to act as the Interim Superintendent for the OASD and guide the staff, students, and families of our district through the interim time before a permanent Superintendent is hired. I'm eager to focus on our district's goal of becoming an unrivaled school district that retains and supports our outstanding staff."
"In listening to the needs of our families, staff, and community, I understand the need for stability during this transition but also recognize that we cannot be idle for the upcoming year. As we shift focus from the pandemic to our district's strategic goals, there are great opportunities for student and staff achievement and the Board and community unity that is needed to attract the best permanent Superintendent possible," she added.
Dr. Taylor will transition to her role as Interim Superintendent on July 1, 2021.
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Photo: Kristen M. Taylor, PhD
