BHS names Randy Liepa acting superintendent

By Lisa Brody

Effective, Monday, July 17, Randy Liepa, PhD, will begin a term as acting superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools (BHS), and then become interim superintendent of the district effective August 1, until a new superintendent is hired or October 30, 2023, whichever comes first, the Bloomfield Hills School Board announced.

At their meeting on Thursday, July 13, the board of education voted to make the appointments for Liepa. Liepa has worked in public education for 30 years, and has extensive experience in school administration and policy, including serving 18 years as a superintendent. He was superintendent at Livonia Public Schools for 12 years, and superintendent of the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency (Wayne RESA) for six years.

In 2014, Liepa was honored as the Region 9 Superintendent of the Year in Michigan, as well as Administrator of the Year for the Michigan PTSA. He holds a bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College, a master's degree in educational leadership from Wayne State University, and a doctor of philosophy degree in educational leadership from Michigan State University.

In their continuing search for a new superintendent for the district, the board of education held a special meeting on Tuesday, July 10, in order to review confidential candidate applications for the position. The board selected five candidates to interview, Dr. James Woell, Carol Baaki Diglio, Nicholas Russo, Ernesto Matias, and Dr. Roy Bishop.

Woell is superintendent of Benjamin School District 25, West Chicago, Illinois. Baaki Diglio is an education leadership and human resources consultant in Plymouth. Russo is assistant superintendent for Human Resources, Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Matias is former chief education officer, Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield, Illinois. Bishop is deputy superintendent for Educational Services, Grosse Pointe Public School System.

The first round of interviews will take place on Monday, July 17, Tuesday, July 18, and Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.m. each night; the second round will begin approximately 10 minutes after the completion of the first interview. Woell and Diglio will be interviewed on July 17; Russo and Matias on July 18; and Bishop on July 19.

On Thursday, July 20, the board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. at Booth Center, 7273 Wing Lake Road, to determine which candidates will be invited to participate in a second round of interviews. Finalist interviews will be held during a special meeting of the board on Tuesday, July 25, and Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. at Booth Center.