Dennis Desmarias, Dexter Interim Superintendent Candidate, Will Meet With Staff Friday

Dexter Community Schools faculty and staff will have the opportunity to meet with Dennis Desmarias, the district's candidate for interim superintendent, at an informal meet and greet on Friday.

Desmarias, a former superintendent from Riverview Community School District, will tour the district and talk with building principals, support staff, and union representatives as part of the superintendent search committee's interview process.

"We know we need to have an interim superintendent in the district by the time (Superintendent Mary Marshall) leaves at the end of December," school board president Larry Cobler said. "We won't finish the process for hiring a permanent superintendent until April or May."

Desmarias' background in education includes assistant principal and athletic director at Napoleon Community School; assistant superintendent at Northwest School for Hearing-Impaired Children; and most recently, superintendent at Riverview School District.

"Representatives from the superintendent search committee met with Mr. Desmarias, and we were all impressed with his knowledge. He has a lot of experience as superintendent," Cobler said. "We asked him to come and meet the rest of the building principals and staff before making any decisions."

Cobler said Desmarias is currently the only candidate being considered for the interim position, and was recommended by the Michigan Leadership Institution.

Following Friday's meeting, Cobler said the board could make a decision as early as Dec. 17 to hire Desmarias temporarily. Cobler said there are no plans to offer Desmarias a permanent position.

Once a decision is made, Cobler said the board will schedule a public meeting to introduce the interim candidate.

"This is an abbreviated process; we're doing things more quickly than we normally would during the permanent superintendent search," Cobler said.

Mary Marshall, the district's current superintendent, was recently hired at Pentwater School District, and will leave the district on Dec. 31.

Desmarias will meet with district staff at the Copeland Administration Building throughout the day on Friday.