CSD Names New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, Inc. (CSD) has named Dr. John Urkevich to serve as executive director, effective July 1, 2007. Dr. Urkevich replaces Dr. John Oldani, who is leaving CSD after six years to become vice president of student development for Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
“John Urkevich has shown exceptional leadership qualities through his work in education,” explains Dr. Charles Penberthy, superintendent of the Brentwood School District and chairman of the CSD Board of Directors. “His commitment to improving education, along with his legislative and community engagement experience, will all play an important role in continuing to improve CSD's long tradition of providing valuable services to its member school districts.”
Penberthy adds, “For the past six years, John Oldani has made an enormous impact as executive director of CSD. On behalf of CSD's 62 member school districts, we thank him for his outstanding leadership.”
For the past 15 years, Dr. Urkevich has worked as a school district administrator in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Since 2002, he has served as superintendent of the Northwest R-1 School District in High Ridge, Mo. Prior to that, he spent 10 years as an assistant superintendent in the School District of the City of St. Charles (Mo.).
With 34 years in education, Dr. Urkevich has served as an assistant superintendent in the Harrisonville Public Schools (Harrisonville, Mo.); as a legislative liaison for the South Carolina Department of Education; and as a school administrator in the Ottawa Unified School District in Ottawa, Kan. Dr. Urkevich began his career in education as a junior high school teacher in Kansas City, Kan.
“The opportunity to serve the Cooperating School Districts is professionally exciting and a challenge to which I look forward,” explains Dr. Urkevich. “Dr. Oldani has done an exemplary job in his role as executive director. He's left big shoes to fill.”
Dr. Urkevich adds, “The moment is also bittersweet. During my years as superintendent of the Northwest School District, I have truly come to love the employees, children, parents, and patrons of the district and take great pride in the things they have accomplished. They will be missed. However, the challenges which lie ahead for public education are significant, and CSD can play an important role in assisting our schools in addressing these issues. The executive director's position is a great opportunity to help improve public education in the area and one to which I'll give my best efforts.”
Dr. Urkevich earned both a doctorate in education and a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, as well as a master's degree in educational administration from Emporia State University.
He currently serves as a member of the Kauffman Foundation's Missouri /Kansas Superintendents Forum, and has served in a consulting capacity for the Council for a Greater Nevada, which is working to improve Clark County schools, the fastest growing school district in the U.S. Dr. Urkevich also serves in a mentoring capacity for the Missouri Academy for New Superintendents and for the Missouri Partnership for Mentoring School Leaders.
Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, Inc. is a non-profit education consortium serving 62 public school districts in eight Missouri counties and two Illinois counties. The organization provides services to schools in the areas of business, character education, communications, cooperative purchasing, health insurance, human resources, legislation, professional development, instructional technology, videoconferencing and video resources.
