Mitchell Selected as New Superintendent of the Madison-Champaign ESC

From Madison-Champaign ESC

The Madison-Champaign ESC announces that at their regular Board meeting on December 22, 2021, they will officially approve the contract of the new ESC Superintendent. Mary E. Mitchell, of Urbana. She has been selected to succeed Dr. Dan Kaffenbarger who will be retiring at the end of July.

Mitchell has been in her current position as the Principal of Mac-A-Cheek Learning Center for seven years. Prior to joining the ESC in her current capacity, Mary was employed by the Urbana City School District as the Director of Special Education. She has also worked for the Clark County ESC as a Preschool Supervisor. She started her educational career at Clark-Shawnee Local Schools as an Intervention Specialist.

Mitchell said, “I am honored to be named the new superintendent of the Madison-Champaign County ESC and to have the honor of leading this exceptional staff at this agency. I am looking forward to continuing the work with the school districts in both of our countries to meet the needs of our students and community.”

The details of Mitchell’s contract have yet to be finalized but this work should be completed before the December 22nd Board meeting. Her contract will officially begin on August 1, 2022. She will be working with Kaffenbarger over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.

Board President Mary Lee Gecowets stated, “ I am thrilled to have someone of the caliber of Mitchell moving into the superintendent’s position. She has distinguished herself in her current role as the principal of Mac-A-Cheek. The five-member board is confident that Mary will be an excellent match for this position and an asset to the leadership team at the Madison-Champaign ESC. The Board did its due diligence in interviewing seven outstanding candidates but at the end of the day Mitchell proved to be our choice.”

Outgoing Superintendent, Dr. Dan Kaffenbarger stated that “Mary has been an excellent leader at Mac-A-Cheek for the ESC for the past seven years. I have no doubt she will bring the same passion and servant-minded leadership to the superintendent’s position.”