John Spieser, Milford’s current Director of Human Resources, has been tapped as Milford’s next Superintendent. The Board of Education will officially approve Mr. Spieser’s new role at their meeting next Thursday, June 18. Mr. Spieser will become Milford’s new superintendent effective August 1. 

“After a very unique and exhaustive process the Board is very happy to come to a conclusion in selecting Mr. Spieser as the next Superintendent. The depth and review of this process, and the amount of data and information collected allowed the Board to make an informed decision in selecting Milford’s next leader,” said Chris Hamm, President of the Board of Education. “We are excited for Mr. Spieser to continue to carry our Milford family forward as we face new challenges and new opportunities.” 

Mr. Spieser began his career in education 26 years ago at Milford. He taught life science at Milford Junior High for six years from 1994 to 2000, then earned his administrator’s license and worked in assistant principal roles at Mason High School and then Bethel-Tate High School, then he worked as Principal and Director of K-12 Curriculum for Little Miami Schools, Principal of the Glen Este Campus in West Clermont, and Principal of Clark Montessori High School in Cincinnati for two years, before returning again to Milford in 2015 to fill the role as Director of Secondary Curriculum. He held that role for one year before moving into the role of Director of Human Resources in 2016. Mr. Spieser earned his Superintendent License from Xavier University in 2002.

“As a young teacher in 1994, Milford taught me about family. Every experience I have had in other districts I always compared it to Milford,” said Mr. Spieser. “It was the students, the staff, the families, and the community that brought me back to Milford five years ago. I’m so thankful to be the next Superintendent.” 

Nancy House, Milford’s current Superintendent, is retiring effective July 31 after 38 years in education. She will work with Mr. Spieser until the end of July to assist in his transition to the new role. Mrs. House said Mr. Spieser’s experiences have made him a tremendous asset to the district’s leaders.

“Mr. Spieser develops positive and collaborative relationships with administrators and both certified and classified staff members,” she said. “He has been visible in all nine of our school buildings and regularly visits classrooms. When necessary, Mr. Spieser has proven that he has the courage to make difficult decisions and have courageous conversations. He has developed an excellent rapport with students, parents, and community members.” 

The process to hire Mr. Spieser as Milford’s next superintendent was in-depth and thorough, even despite the pandemic. 

The first step the Board took in the search for Milford’s next leader was hiring Cheryl W. Ryan from the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) to assist in the search. Then, the Board implemented an open survey to parents and the community, asking for input on qualities they feel are most important for the next Superintendent. In total more than 600 responses were received.

A total of 24 individuals applied for the Superintendent position. The Board evaluated candidates based on the ideal profile developed from feedback received and the candidate's experiences and qualifications. The Board then chose nine individuals for first round interviews, and those were conducted via Zoom video conference. Following these interviews, the Board met again and narrowed the list to three finalists for the position.

The two other finalists were Michael Broadwater, current Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations and Human Resources at Forest Hill Local Schools, and Dr. Kimberly Halley, current Assistant Superintendent for Reynoldsburg City Schools. While the Board worked to contact multiple references for each candidate, the three finalists completed an OSBA leadership assessment. On Monday, June 8, each finalist was interviewed for three hours with three different groups: 

• Group One - in-person interview and presentation to the Board of Education

• Group Two - Zoom video conference interview with a panel of Milford school building Principals

• Group Three - Zoom video conference interview with a panel of community, government, and business leaders.

At the conclusion of the two groups of Zoom interviews, the interview panels completed surveys evaluating each candidate and the results were provided to the Board. 

The Board met Thursday evening, June 11 in executive session to review all of the obtained information and data on each candidate and take the next step in their decision process. After that meeting an offer of employment was extended to Mr. Spieser and he accepted the position. The Board will formally approve Mr. Spieser as Superintendent at their June 18 meeting.