During a special meeting held this week, the Northwest Education Services (North Ed) Board of Education selected five candidates to be interviewed for the regional superintendent position.

The board intends to make an offer to its preferred candidate by late March, with the new
superintendent to start July 1.

Candidate interviews are open to the public and will take place March 3- 5 at North Ed’s Arnell
Administration Building, 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City. They are scheduled as follows:

March 3:
● 4:30 p.m.: Kathleen Xenakis-Makowski, Superintendent, Johannesburg-Lewiston Area
Schools; President of the Michigan Association of School Administrators
● 6 p.m.: John Mertz, Superintendent, Olivet Community Schools
March 4:
● 6:15 p.m.: Michael Haynes, Director of Instructional Services, Char-Em Intermediate
School District
March 5:
● 4:30 p.m.: Stephanie O’Dea, Director of Instructional Systems, Michigan Association of
Intermediate School Administrators
● 6 p.m.: Dr. Tara Mager, Superintendent, Clare-Gladwin Regional Educational Service
District

The five candidates were selected from a pool of 22 applicants. The board may return to the pool
of applicants if the five selected candidates do not meet expectations or withdraw from the
process.

Current North Ed Superintendent Dr. Nick Ceglarek is retiring after being hired for the role in
2017. Prior to starting at North Ed, Ceglarek served as superintendent at Hudsonville Public
Schools, Fruitport Community Schools and Baldwin Community Schools. He began his career in
education as a math teacher at Rockford Public Schools.

Northwest Education Services supports 20,000 students and more than 30 school districts across
the five counties of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau. As the intermediate
school district, it provides early childhood services, special education and vocational education
programming for students, professional development for educators and various support services
for districts