After working in education for three decades, including 16 years in his current role at Fayetteville-Manlius School District, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Jeffrey Gordon will officially retire in January.
“Working at Fayetteville-Manlius, where my wife, children and I all graduated from, has been the pinnacle of my professional career,” Gordon said. “To serve the community that I grew up in, and that gave my family so much, has been an honor.”
Gordon announced his retirement plans in 2020, providing F-M officials and board members ample time to develop a succession plan and search for his replacement. The candidate search recently concluded when the F-M Board of Education at its Oct. 17 meeting approved hiring Lisa Wade as the district’s next assistant superintendent for personnel.
“For more than two decades, I have been a colleague of Ms. Wade’s as members of our local personnel administrators organization,” Gordon said. “I am certain she will do a phenomenal job for the district,” Gordon said.
Wade, a City of Syracuse resident, has worked for Syracuse City School District for 15 years, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer. She has also served the Syracuse district as Executive Director of Employee Services, Director of Employee Services and Assistant Director of Personnel.
Wade will begin her position at F-M Jan. 1 and work alongside Gordon for one month. Gordon will retire effective Jan. 31. It is a similar model that was used when the district transitioned between school business officials during the month of September 2022.
“I know that F-M will continue to be one of New York state’s top school districts because the community, staff, and students understand the transformational power of education in our lives,” Gordon said.
The assistant superintendent for personnel oversees all instructional recruiting, interviewing and hiring, and also supervises all aspects of labor relations, including collective bargaining negotiations and employee discipline.
“Mr. Gordon’s proactive planning has put the district in a strong position for success,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Craig J. Tice said. “While I will miss his advice and counsel on a daily basis – not to mention his long-standing historical knowledge of F-M traditions because he was a student in the school district – I know that Jeff worked tirelessly to establish rigorous screening and hiring practices that will continue well into the future. That being said, I am confident that Ms. Wade will not only maintain the strong traditions that have become the hallmarks of our personnel department but will also add her own unique perspective and expertise based on her years of experience in similar roles.”