AASA members who serve as superintendents in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are contending this winter for the presidency of AASA. The winner will become president-elect on July 1 and start his or her presidency one year later.
The three candidates are Eric C. Eshbach, superintendent, Northern York County School District in Dillsburg, Pa.; Gary L. Kelly, superintendent, DuQuoin Community Unit School District, DuQuoin, Ill.; and Deborah L. Kerr, superintendent, Brown Deer School District, Brown Deer, Wis.
The election will be conducted via e-mail. Ballots will be distributed to eligible voting members of association beginning the morning of Friday, Feb. 16, the same day all three will address the 2nd General Session at AASA’s national conference in Nashville. Voting will end at midnight on March 9.
Brief biographical summaries of each candidate follow.
Eric Eshbach: AASA member since 2003. AASA Executive Committee member since 2015; AASA Governing Board member, 2009-2015
Current superintendency (Northern York County School District, Dillsburg, Pa.) since 2012; previously, superintendent, Upper Adams School District, Biglerville, Pa.
Ed.D., educational leadership, Duquesne University; M.S. education administration, Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College); B.S. elementary education, Elizabethtown College.
Gary Kelly: AASA member since 1994; AASA Executive Committee member since 2016; AASA Governing Board member, 2010-2016
Current superintendency (DuQuoin Community Unit School District, DuQuoin, Ill.) since 1997; previously, assistant superintendent, DuQuoin, Ill.,
Ph.D., educational administration, Southern Illinois University; M.S., educational administration, Southern Illinois University; B.S., secondary education, University of Illinois
Deborah Kerr: AASA member since 2000; AASA Governing Board member since 2017
Current superintendency (Brown Deer School District, Brown Deer, Wis.) since 2007; previously, superintendent, Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated School District, Trevor, Wis., and Wilmot Graded, Wilmot, Wis.
Ed.D., educational leadership, National Louis University; M.S., educational leadership, University of Alaska-Fairbanks; B.A., K-12 education, Valparaiso University
(Jay P. Goldman is editor of Conference Daily Online.)