Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District issued the following announcement on Feb 28.
CGRESD SUPERINTENDENT PRESLER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT: After 33 distinguished years in education, capped by a long run as superintendent of Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District, Sheryl Presler is calling it a career.
Presler informed the CGRESD Board of Education and staff on Feb. 16 that she would be retiring at the end of September. The board has begun the process of securing her successor with a keen understanding of the difficulty involved in filling her shoes.
“Sheryl has set a standard of leadership and vision that creates a real challenge in finding the next superintendent for this organization,” said Board President Barbara Richards, a trustee on the board that hired Presler as superintendent in 2007. “The level of respect she has earned throughout the course of her career - from people in local districts to educators across the state to her present-day staff - is impressive.”
The CGRESD board is working with the Michigan Leadership Institute, a consulting organization that assists K-12 school districts and public institutions in executive candidate searches. The board hopes to have the new superintendent in place by June 30, with Presler staying on to aid in the transition for the subsequent three months.
Presler has known the day was coming for a while.
“It’s time,” she said. “The reasons I’m retiring and the ways I’ll spend my time when I’m done working are fairly standard - the opportunity to prioritize family and friends, enjoy my hobbies and work a little.”
Presler said the person who succeeds her should expect a high-challenge/high-reward experience.
“The last couple years have presented challenges nobody could’ve anticipated,” she said. “But CGRESD is blessed with a staff of dedicated subject matter experts who believe deeply in the cause of education. Beyond that, we really are a family, and when you love what you’re doing and the people you’re doing it with, you’re able to adapt and advance.”
Presler began her career in Maryland as an elementary teacher in 1989. Through the years, she rose through the ranks, serving as an elementary principal and the CGRESD Assistant Superintendent before taking the helm 15 years ago.
She has a long record of leadership and involvement in local and statewide organizations, including the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators; Michigan Association of School Administrators; Northern Michigan School Legislative Association; United Way of Clare and Gladwin Counties; Clare Rotary; Clare County Enterprise Community; Clare and Gladwin Counties’ Leadership Institutes; Clare County Community Foundation; and Mid-Michigan Industries.
At CGRESD, Presler shepherded a long period of organizational growth and diversification, providing plenty of points of pride.
“First and foremost, I’m proudest that at the core of everything we do, we’re championing the students of rural mid-Michigan,” she said. “I’ve been able to be part of some significant advancements for kids in our area, like co-authoring the original SPARKS grants in 2002, which have since provided more than 4,100 students with after-school and summer school programming. Or helping pass the CTE millage in 2016, which has enabled that program to really find solid footing and has provided partial funding for Construction Trades and Automotive Technology labs at the Magnus Center.”
Richards said the board has its work cut out for it - and so does Presler’s successor.
“Sheryl’s impact is profound and immeasurable, much of it in ways that aren’t obvious,” Richards said. “Our search will be thorough, it will be diligent, and it will be inclusive. It’s all hands on deck, not only because our students deserve nothing less, but also because that’s the legacy of service she’ll leave behind.”
Original source can be found here.
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