After 11 years as State College Area School District superintendent, Bob O’Donnell is leaving for another job.
O’Donnell will become the new superintendent of the Downingtown Area School District in Chester County effective July 1. The Downingtown School Board approved O’Donnell’s appointment on Monday night.
O’Donnell said he will stay on at SCASD through the end of June.
“It’s with mixed emotions that I share this news with you because while my family and I are excited for this new chapter in our lives, we love the State College Area School District and this community,” O’Donnell wrote in a message to district families on Monday night. “The relationships that we have built during my tenure are what I am most proud of, but also what made this decision so difficult.”
The move will allow O’Donnell to be closer to his mother and extended family “while still serving in a meaningful leadership role for another excellent school district,” he wrote. Downingtown is the eighth largest school district in Pennsylvania.
“We know he will continue to make a positive difference for students and to advocate for the needs of public education in his new role,” State College Area School Board President Amber Concepcion wrote on behalf of the board. “The SCASD Board of Directors would like to express our deepest gratitude for his service to our community during the past 11 years. We wish him and his family all the best as they take on new adventures.”
The school board will begin the search for his successor immediately, starting by finding a consulting firm specializing in public education to conduct a national search for candidates.
The search process will include opportunities for community input. More information will be released in the near future, Concepcion wrote.
O’Donnell’s most recent contract with SCASD — his third since his hiring — was approved by the board in October.
He oversaw a momentous decade-plus for State College Area that included working with the board on planning for new high school facilities — from the 2014 high school referendum through the construction of the new State High and Delta buildings — as well as the replacement of three of the district’s oldest elementary schools.
“We know students need safe and healthy environments for learning, and a significant accomplishment of Dr. O’Donnell’s time with us has been the replacement of outdated and deteriorated school facilities,” Concepcion wrote.
The board praised O’Donnell’s for his work to establish a curriculum renewal cycle for continuous improvement, efforts to address student growth and opportunity gaps, prioritizing Career and Technical Center programs and launching an International Baccalaureate program in the high school.
O’Donnell also helped lead the district on equity and inclusion through evaluation of need, policy changes and establishment of the Office of Equity and Inclusivity.
“While equity is a goal that will require focused and long-term effort, we are grateful for the work that Dr. O’Donnell has led and supported in our district,” Concepcion wrote.
Above all else, according to Concepcion, O’Donnell put students at the forefront.
“Most of all we will miss Dr. O’Donnell’s caring for students,” she wrote. “Throughout his tenure here, students were always at the forefront of his thinking, and we could see this first-hand in his kind and attentive interactions with kids, as well as in his tireless focus on their learning and well-being throughout the pandemic.”
O’Donnell’s time with the district was “rewarding and unforgettable,” he wrote.
“One thing that has always been clear is our community’s deep commitment to education, which I always appreciated through our collective accomplishments and challenges,” he wrote. “On a personal note, I will fondly recall all of the dedicated individuals who taught, coached, mentored, and inspired my own children, for whom my wife, Lori, and I will always be grateful.”
At Downingtown, O’Donnell succeeds Emilie Lonardi, who is retiring on June 30. His appointment is through June 30, 2027.
Prior to his arrival at SCASD, O’Donnell was an administrator in the Hempfield School District, including as serving three years as assistant superintendent. He started his career as a math and computer science teacher in Warwick School District.
During his time in State College, he also has served as vice chair and chair of the board for the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County and is a member of the Penn State World Campus Advisory Board.
