ROBERT CHRISTMANN APPOINTED NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Replaced Bren Price on October 1st
By Jeff Rabey, President, WNYESC

“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” This is a quote on leadership from John Maxwell, an American author and motivational speaker. I believe that these words exemplify the body of work that Bren Price has accomplished during his tenure as the Executive Director of the Western New York Educational Service Council. Through Bren’s style of leadership that has fostered many new and positive relationships, he has taken the Council to a new level of providing first-class resources, supportive and innovative programming, on a global level, to our member schools. Mr. Price certainly maintained the prestigious reputation that the Council has established since 1966 and his presence will certainly be missed. Once Mr. Price announced his retirement this past winter, the Board of Directors worked along with Dr. Vince Coppola to select the next leader of our organization. After an extensive search for the perfect candidate, the search committee has recommended Mr. Robert Christmann to the Board of Directors for the position. Most recently, Bob has been the Superintendent of Schools for the Grand Island Central School District and prior to 2007, he was the Superintendent of the Newark Central School District.

Mr. Christmann has held several administrative positions in Central and Western New York and most impressively, he is the immediate past president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. It is important to note that Mr. Christmann led the NYSCOSS organization through one of the most tumultuous times our profession has ever seen, and through his leadership promoted the office of the superintendency. Bob’s experiences throughout his career, have focused on the support and development of leadership within schools. It has never been more important than now to have a leader with Mr. Christmann’s skill set, one which is focused on the support and development of educational leadership in our schools. We are very excited to have Bob’s expertise available to the Council and its membership as we move this organization into the future.

The Board of Directors is now eager and positioned to enter into this new phase of Council leadership. It is our goal, as we prepare for the future, to assess the needs of the schools in our region schools in order to develop and implement a focused strategic plan. Please be thinking about how the Western New York Educational Service Council can assist you.