LARGO, Fla. — Nineteen candidates later, the Pinellas County School Board has selected three finalists to replace retiring superintendent Dr. Michael Grego.
The search began in January 2022 as Grego announced he'd be retiring at the end of June.
Each of the finalists has a diverse background in education spanning from teaching, mentoring and taking on many leadership roles in education. The three finalists are Ann Hembrook, Ed.D, Kevin Hendrick and Michael Ramirez.
Each of the finalists is vying to continue to improve and take the Pinellas County school district to new heights in education and extracurricular activities.
Hembrook is an area superintendent in Marion County Public Schools. She's a graduate of Harvard University and has served as an area superintendent at Marion County Schools since 2020. Before then, Hembrook spent more than 10 years in the Orange County Public School District as a principal, director of professional development, assistant principal, teacher and instructional coach.
One of Hembrook's strong suits, if chosen as superintendent of Pinellas County Schools, is her ability to improve teaching and learning at the classroom level, she says.
Hendrick is currently an associate superintendent of teaching and learning in Pinellas County Schools. He took on this role at the start of June 2017. Prior, Hendrick served as principal at Northeast High School from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2017 and has 24 years of educational experience under his belt.
If chosen as superintendent, Hendrick said he is committed to creating the conditions for teachers and students to thrive for academic excellence.
Ramirez is a deputy superintendent in Denver Public Schools in Colorado. With 27 years of experience in education, Ramirez spent 16 of those years in Broward County Public Schools in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He's been a deputy superintendent in Denver Public Schools since 2019. Prior, he served as the Cadre Director at the Office of School Performance and Accountability from 2012 to 2019.
Having experience with working with children that have diverse backgrounds and needs and completion of leadership academies, Ramirez says he believes he has the foundational framework to provide equitable leadership.
The next step in the search for the school district's next superintendent will come in a little more than two weeks. On May 11, board members will conduct interviews with the candidates and the public will be able to speak with them at a "meet and greet" that evening from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A location will be determined at a later date.
On May 17, Pinellas County School Board members will make the final decision on a superintendent during a special school board meeting at 10 a.m., followed by contract negotiations.