On April 16, 2009, the Cincinnati Board of Education unanimously selected Mary A. Ronan as Superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools.
Ronan, a 32-year veteran of the district, served as Interim Superintendent since August 1, 2008.
Looking back at her nine months as interim superintendent, Ronan reflected about the many opportunities she had to meet with parents and community members and to exchange ideas with them.
"I’ve discovered there are many, many caring people who are dedicated to CPS and who are working tirelessly to improve our schools," Ronan said. "This is exciting and energizing, and it gives me great optimism for what we will accomplish together."
The Board's goal was to look for a superintendent to lead the 34,000-student district and continue its progress raising academic achievement and the graduation rate, bringing it to national prominence.
"I greatly appreciate the Board's confidence," Ronan said. "I believe national prominence is within our grasp, and, pulling together, I have no doubt we will achieve it."
Ronan, who set "Building a Collaborative Culture" as one of her three priorities for the 2008-09 school year, said "I look forward to working as a partner with the Board, parents, community members and staff to accelerate progress in Cincinnati Public Schools."
Before her appointment as Interim Superintendent, Ronan was Director of Schools supervising the district's principals. She previously served as an Assistant Superintendent, and she was principal of Kilgour School in 2001-02 when it won a National Blue Ribbon award for excellence from the U.S. Department of Education. Ronan began her career in education as a teacher of math and science at the middle- and high-school levels. A Cincinnati native, Ronan is a graduate of Seton High School in Price Hill.