TRUMBULL COUNTY Career center leader submits resignation

TCTC's top administrator worked her way up the ladder, from teacher to superintendent.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CHAMPION -- After more than 30 years in education, Dianne Kenzie has a long list of career highlights.
The superintendent of Trumbull Career and Technical Center has resigned effective Jan. 1, and says she looks forward to retirement.
The school's governing board accepted Kenzie's resignation late Thursday. TCTC was long called the Trumbull County Joint Vocational School.
Kenzie, 55, has been in education 31 years, the last 18 at TCTC.
Different jobs: During her time there, she's served as an English teacher for special needs students, a coordinator, a special needs supervisor, the school's director and now superintendent.
Before that, she worked at Gordon D. James Career Center and as an English teacher at McDonald High School.
Roger Samuelson, TCTC board president, who represents Champion schools, said the board has known for some time about the retirement.
"Dianne Kenzie is a special person," he said. "She's been great to work with and we wish that she could stay."
The board will likely replace Kenzie with an interim superintendent while it decides how to fill the post permanently.
Although he declined to say who, Samuelson said a TCTC employee is a good candidate for the position.
The board meets next Oct. 11 and will likely discuss Kenzie's post.
The superintendent said she'll leave the district financially sound, with a well-qualified staff and a newly remodeled building.
"It's a good time to leave," she said. "I'm real proud of where we are at this point in time."
Career highlights: Asked to name a few career highlights, Kenzie said the school is thought of as a leader in career and technical education and has adjusted well to mandates for increased academic offerings and accountability measures, and a reduction in funding.
The superintendent says she's also proud of student achievement in TCTC's 32 program offerings, which she called diverse.
She credits the success to a good team of administrators, instructors and other staff.
Kenzie says her administration has attracted top-quality administrators in the last few years, even resorting to stealing them away from other institutions.
One example she gave is the recent hiring of Barbara Ciccotelli, the school's new business and tech prep supervisor.
Ciccotelli had been director of Mahoning County Joint Vocational School for nine years. She replaces Donna Kidd, who retired.
Friend, colleague: TCTC director Patricia Hura considers Kenzie a friend and professional colleague.
The two have known each other since the early 1980s, working together as teachers and carpooling to Ashland University, where they were certified as administrators.
"She's an extremely bright and competent woman," Hura said. "She's done a great deal to bring TCTC back to where it needs to be educationally."
The school is negotiating with its sole employee union and recently reached an impasse.
Kenzie said she intends to see negotiations through and is confident an agreement will soon be reached.
The superintendent will tie up loose ends in coming months and said she's happy to retire but sad to leave behind a big part of her life.
"I plan to stay active in education and remain an advocate for career and technical education," she said. "I'm just looking forward to doing some other things."
davis@vindy.com