Administrative Announcements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 13, 2020)

Washington Township is pleased to announce the following administrative changes for the 2020-21 school year:

• Mrs. Rebecka Smith has been named Chief Business Officer (CBO)
• Dr. Ghirmay Alazar has been named Director of Student Services
• Mr. Rick Pederson has been named Director of Transportation
• Mr. James Tutin has been named Principal of Eastwood Middle School
• Mr. David “Andy” Elkins has been named Athletic Director at North Central High School

At the May 13^th Board of Education meeting, the School Board received and approved the above recommendations and approved the above individuals to assume their respective roles for the 2020-21 school year.

Mrs. Smith comes to us with a wealth of Indiana school business experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer in Concord Community Schools, Business Manager of Cassopolis Public Schools, and Director of Business Services and Corporation Treasurer for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. She is also a Certified Chief Business Officer by the Indiana Association of School Business Officials and a former IASBO Treasurer of the Year. Mrs. Smith earned a Bachelor of Applied Management from Tri-State University, South Bend, and MBA from Bethel College in Mishawka, Indiana.

Dr. Alazar brings special services leadership experience from multiple school levels and districts in two different states. He has been a teacher, assistant principal, advocate, professor, and district leader. The past two years he has served as Assistant Director of Special Services in Wayne Township. Dr. Alazar earned a Ph.D. Educational Leadership Administration and Policy from the University of Denver and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University.

Mr. Pederson brings a wealth of experience to this position having worked in nearly every role in a transportation department. Over the course of his career he has worked his way up from a bus driving position to his current position as Director of Transportation for New Prairie School Corporation. He also served as Director of Operations in Center Grove Community School Corporation for ten years before his time in New Prairie. Mr. Pederson earned his Bachelor of Science from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI, majoring in Elementary Education and Information Technology. He is also an Indiana State Certified School Safety Specialist.

Mr. Tutin has most recently been serving as the Interim Co-Principal at Eastwood Middle School. Prior to that and since 2014 he served as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Eastwood. During his time at Eastwood, he has served as the primary evaluator for numerous teachers across multiple disciplines and has served on a variety of building and district committees. Mr. Tutin earned a M.A.E. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Ball State University and Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education from Purdue University.

Mr. Elkins has served as Assistant Athletic Director at North Central High School for the last six years. He will replace Paul Loggan, who tragically passed away last month from the coronavirus. Prior to coming to NC, Mr. Elkins served as Athletic Director at Cascade High School. He also coached the varsity boys basketball team at his alma mater, Evansville Bosse, where he was a three-sport athlete. Mr. Elkins is a graduate of the University of Evansville, where he ranks no. 6 on their list of all-time scorers. As a Purple Ace, he competed in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT Tournament, is a member of the Aces Hall of Fame, and had his jersey retired at the school. Mr. Elkins earned a Master of Science in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University along with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration, both from University of Evansville.

We welcome all of these outstanding educators and employees to their new roles in Washington Township.