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Superintendent Search

green graphic that reads "Superintendent Search Updates" with the FHSD logo

The Forest Hills School District Board of Education completed its search for a visionary leader to serve students, staff and community members as the district's next superintendent. On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Board of Education officially approved Mrs. Suzanna Davis to serve in this important role.

The search process, which was conducted with support from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, involved intentional community feedback and a robust recruitment effort to ensure all candidates considered for this important role were well suited to FHSD’s unique strengths and positioned to support a world-class educational experience.

Official Board Approval and Transition in Leadership

The FHSD Board of Education unanimously approved an employment contract with Mrs. Suzanna Davis at the regular meeting on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 for her to serve as superintendent effective August 1. The Board also approved a consultant contract that will allow Mrs. Davis to work up to 15 days in FHSD prior to her official start date to give her time to meet with staff, administrators and other stakeholders and to provide for a smooth transition in leadership for the 2026-2027 school year.

FHSD Board Selects Suzanna Davis as Next Superintendent

The Board of Education is thrilled to announce that it has selected Suzanna Davis to serve as the next superintendent of Forest Hills School District. The superintendent search was rooted in intentional, focused community input at every stage, and the Board Members appreciate the collaborative process that helped them make this critical decision with the best interests of students, staff and the entire community in mind.

Suzanna Davis stood out among a strong field of candidates at each step in the rigorous interview process. It quickly became clear that she possesses the specific skillsets and critical leadership qualities the FHSD community helped to identify, and the Board believes she will be able to step into this role and help the district move forward with confidence and excitement for the future.

“I am honored and excited to serve as the new superintendent of Forest Hills School District,” said Mrs. Davis. “Throughout the process, I’ve been inspired by the pride and commitment I’ve seen from teachers, staff, families and the community. I look forward to building on the strong foundation and working together to ensure every student is supported, challenged and prepared for what comes next.”

The Board started contract negotiations and has reached a tentative agreement with Mrs. Davis, which the Board will vote to approve at its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 5, at 4:30 p.m. at Mercer Elementary School. The community is encouraged to attend this meeting for an opportunity to meet FHSD’s future superintendent and welcome her to Forest Hills! There will be an informal meet-and-greet opportunity at 4:45 p.m. in the Mercer cafeteria. 

Suzanna Davis is a student-centered educational leader with more than 20 years of experience leading high-performing school systems through growth and change. She is known for building trust, aligning teams and systems, and maintaining a clear, disciplined focus on student outcomes. Mrs. Davis holds a superintendent license from Miami University, a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Cincinnati, and a bachelor’s degree in education from Miami University.

“The entire Board is confident that Mrs. Davis will serve as an excellent leader for our school district,” said Dr. Wendy Strickler, Board President. “Her passion for public education, commitment to student learning and well-being, and established ability to cultivate collaborative relationships provide a strong foundation to help our district maintain a high level of academic excellence and continue to improve and grow in key areas.”

The Board would like to thank the dedicated team at the Hamilton County Educational Service Center for their commitment to ensuring this search included extensive opportunities for community input, reached a broad range of highly qualified candidates for the position, and resulted in a fantastic new superintendent to lead our school district. Thank you, as well, to each of the candidates who participated in this process and to the community for being involved every step of the way.

Mrs. Davis will officially begin serving as superintendent on August 1, 2026, and she will have opportunities to meet with community members, staff and other stakeholders during several scheduled transition days in June and July.

Final Interview Rounds and Additional Community Input

After completing two detailed, thoughtful rounds of interviews with candidates for the superintendent position, the Forest Hills School District Board of Education is excited to announce the candidates who have been selected to participate in the final two rounds of the formal interview process. Six candidates participated in the first two interview rounds, which included interviews with groups of community and staff members on Monday, April 20 and individual interviews with the Board of Education on Wednesday, April 22.

“The Board thanks all of these outstanding candidates for their time, professionalism and interest in serving Forest Hills School District,” said Dr. Wendy Strickler, Board President. “This was an impressive pool of candidates, which is a reflection of the quality and strength of both our school district and our wonderful community. We are grateful for the community and staff members who provided input during the first round of interviews, and we look forward to hearing from our community at the upcoming Meet the Candidates Night. This insight is an important piece of information our Board is considering as we work together to find the best person to lead our school district.”

The Board of Education has identified the following candidates, based on individual interviews with the Board as well as input from community interviews, who will be invited to participate in a Meet the Candidates Night on Monday, April 27 and a final interview with the Board on Wednesday, April 29. The candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Suzanna Davis—Senior Director of Student Services, Middletown City Schools
  • Kiya Hunt—Superintendent, Canal Winchester Local Schools

Next Steps - Share Your Voice

  • Additional Community Input Opportunity: We encourage the community to submit candidate questions for Meet the Candidates Night HERE. 
  • Meet the Candidates Night: All members of the community are invited to meet the finalists Monday, April 27 at Nagel Middle School. Individuals can RSVP here to give the district a better idea of anticipated attendance for planning purposes. RSVPs are appreciated but not required to attend. Community members, families and students are invited to participate in a public session from 7-8 p.m., and FHSD employees can choose to attend a staff-specific session from 6-7 p.m.

The survey form closed on Saturday, April 25 at noon to allow time for staff to process the submissions and plan for the event. RSVPs are not required to attend, but they are appreciated for planning purposes.

Candidates Announced for Interview Phase

The Board of Education met on Wednesday, April 15 to review applicants for the position and select candidates to move forward in the formal interview process. The Board worked with the Hamilton County Educational Service Center (ESC) search team to evaluate the professional profiles of applicants against the community-developed leadership criteria, which can be found in the FHSD Superintendent Profile.

The following individuals have been invited to participate in the formal interview process (alphabetical by last name):

  • Suzanna Davis—Senior Director of Student Services, Middletown City Schools
  • Joseph Ellison—Assistant Superintendent of High Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools
  • Robert Fellows—Executive Director of Human Resources, Forest Hills School District
  • Kiya Hunt—Superintendent, Canal Winchester Local Schools
  • Chris Piper—Superintendent, Troy City Schools
  • Kim Tinsley—Assistant Superintendent, Forest Hills School District

"The quality of the applicant pool reflects the strong reputation of Forest Hills School District," said Board President Wendy Strickler. "We have identified a group of leaders whose experience and vision align with the priorities our community shared through an online survey with 800 responses and more than two dozen focus groups during the input phase. We are eager to begin the face-to-face conversations that will help us find the perfect fit for our students and staff."

There will be four interview rounds, including a public Meet the Candidates Night that will offer an opportunity for all members of the community to hear directly from finalists and share their perspective with the Board. Please see the "Superintendent Search Timeline" section below for more details about specific interview rounds.

The Board started this search with a three-week community input process that was invaluable in supporting its efforts to identify excellent candidates. Community members will have the opportunity to remain engaged during the interview stages, and the Board appreciates the high level of interest and involvement in this important search.

Superintendent Search Profile

In partnership with the search team at the Hamilton County Educational Service Center (ESC), the FHSD Board of Education is proud to share the FHSD Superintendent Profile—a detailed snapshot of the unique characteristics that make Forest Hills a premier school district and the ten skills the community helped identify as most critical for the district’s next leader to demonstrate.

The FHSD Superintendent Profile was created by the Hamilton County ESC team based on input from students and staff at all nine district schools, a community-wide online survey that received 800 responses and six different community focus group sessions that included 80 individuals. The Board intentionally expanded the focus group opportunities to make sure there would be room to include everyone who expressed an interest in participating. All individuals who indicated interest in the survey received a follow-up invitation with focus-group dates.

Through that extensive input process, the FHSD community identified the ten most important characteristics needed in a future superintendent.

  • Student-Centered Leadership
  • Integrity and Trust
  • Unifier and Bridge Builder
  • Community-Connected Leader
  • Commitment to Academic Excellence
  • Complex Systems Leadership
  • Whole-Learner Success
  • Future Focused and Strategic
  • Fiscal Stewardship
  • Courageous and Decisive

Superintendent Search Profile Document

Click the link above or view the images below to see the FHSD Superintendent Search Profile. You can find more information about the creation of the report in the Helpful Links section at the bottom of the webpage.
Images of the Superintendent Search Profile

Community Input Process

The FHSD Board of Education is inviting the community to provide input throughout the search process for the district's next superintendent.

The first part of the engagement phase of the search took place throughout March. From March 10 to March 21, FHSD conducted an online survey to collect feedback from staff, families and community members about the priorities and qualities they believe are most important in the district’s next superintendent.

In addition to the survey, the Hamilton County ESC search team hosted a series of focus groups to gather perspectives from faculty, staff, students, parents and community members. The search team held staff focus groups at each school across the district, and students from Anderson High School, Turpin High School and Nagel Middle School had the opportunity to participate and share their insights. Principals in each of the district’s elementary schools collected input from their students.

Families and community members who completed the survey were able to indicate whether they were interested in participating in a focus group to share their perspective in small-group conversations, which took place the week of March 23. The Board intentionally expanded the focus group opportunities to make sure there would be room to include everyone who expressed an interest in participating. All individuals who indicated interest in the survey received a follow-up invitation with focus group dates.

Approximately 800 individuals took the online survey, and 80 individuals participated in the community focus group sessions.

Feedback gathered through the survey and focus groups helped inform the Superintendent Profile. This document will guide the Board of Education and Hamilton County ESC in identifying candidates who best align with the priorities and values of the Forest Hills community as they work to identify the next superintendent.

Certain interview phases will include key community stakeholders, and all members of the FHSD community will be invited to stay involved with an additional survey that will inform the later interview rounds and an opportunity to meet future candidates
Graphic detailing the superintendent search process and timeline

Superintendent Search Timeline

  • March 10-13: Launch survey and internal focus groups
  • Week of March 16: Host student focus groups
  • March 21: Survey closes
  • Week of March 23: Host external focus groups with families and community
  • March 31: Board of Education meeting; finalize profile and establish next steps
  • April 1-10: Application window
  • April 13-14: Hamilton County ESC team screens candidates
  • April 15: Board of Education Meeting
  • April 20: Round One interviews involving community, Board and district leadership
  • April 22: Round Two interviews with Board of Education
  • April 27: Round Three interviews (finalists) with community and stakeholder groups, including a public Meet the Candidate Night at Nagel Middle School. Community members, families and students are invited to participate in a public session from 7-8 p.m., and FHSD employees can choose to attend a staff-specific session from 6-7 p.m.
  • April 29: Round Four interviews with the Board of Education
  • Early May: Announcement of new superintendent

Please note, this timeline is tentative and will be updated throughout the search process.

Helpful Links and Information
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