Ridgemont board hires assistant superintendent Posted on May 11, 2023 0 By TIM THOMAS Times editor BRIAN HOGAN MOUNT VICTORY — Within the next year, the Ridgemont Board of Education anticipates its new assistant superintendent will be ready to take on the top job in the district. The board approved a one year contact for Brian Hogan of Bellefontaine to be the understudy to current superintendent Chris Pfister. Pfister will be working with Hogan to bring the assistant superintendent up to speed on the superintendent’s job at Ridgemont. Hogan, who has been the middle/high school principal at Waynesfield-Goshen for the past five years. is already familiar with working with Pfister. The person who was superintendent at W-G during part of that time was Pfister. “I’ve kind of been mentored by him already,” Hogan said of their relationship at Waynesfield. “I feel ready to hit the ground running with him.” A graduate of Bellefontaine High School, Hogan received his bachelor’s degree from Urbana University and his Master’s in Educational Leadership at the University of Dayton. He earned his superintendent’s license through Bowling Green State University. Hogan spent 10 years as a government and history teacher – eight of those at Bellefontaine – before becoming an administrator. He was the K-12 principal at Russia Schools for two years, before moving to the principal’s post at W-G. After seven years as an administrator, Hogan said he’s ready to take the next step in his career. “I was looking at opportunities for a superintendent’s job and this opened up,” he said of Ridgemont. “It’s a great district to get into, a great community. I want to continue the momentum the district has had,” he said, Hogan and his wife of 16 years, Lindsay, reside in Bellefontaine where she is a teacher. They have three children – Alexis 11; Devyn 9 and Zackery 1. The plan, according to Ridgemont President Paige Wallace, is for Hogan to work with Pfister for up to a year, when Pfister would retire and Hogan would become the district’s leader. Pfister, who was not at the board meeting, previously told the Times that he will be 74 by the time his contract ends in the summer of 2024. “They need a young person to continue to move the district forward,” he said. “I will be ready for the transition to happen,” Hogan said. There was plenty of other personnel action as Ridgemont added experience from area districts. Craig Taylor was given a one year contract as Ridgemont’s new athletic director and facilities usage manager for the 2023-2024 school year. He has been the athletic director and dean of students at Riverdale. (Continued on page two) (Continued from page one) Coming over from Hardin Northern is Travis Rettig, who will be the middle school/high school science teacher beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. The former head football coach at HN, Rettig will now assume that role for the Gophers. Also given one-year teaching contracts for the upcoming school year were Marice Furlong as a high school math teacher and Misty Snyder as a K-2 intervention specialist. The district’s new school nurse will be Cory Penhorwood. In other action, the board: – Accepted the resignations of Holly Frey, third grade teacher and Cassie Thomas, 5-12 band and choir teacher, both effective at the end of the current school year. – Approved a four-year certified contract for teacher Darcy Ruppright for the 2023-2024 school year. – Approved one-year certified contracts for the 2023-2024 school year for teachers Robert Anspach, Angela Arthur, Amanda Atole, Erin Dechman, Madison Geyer, Melissa Hyder, Wyatt James, Sara McKee, Tara Neer, Lori Romie, Matthew Stemmer, Andrew Trihaft, Victoria Welker and Sarabeth Wolf. – Approved two-year classified (non-teaching) contracts for the 2023-2024 school year for Shannon Bidwell, Becky Large and Jackie McCarthy, food service; Bryan Hites, maintenance and Lynda Vermillion, bus driver. – Approved supplemental contracts for the 2023-2024 school year for Tyler Tillman, boys basketball head coach; Tim Weyant, girls basketball head coach; Grant Reppart, boys basketball assistant coach; Keysten Creamer, girls basketball assistant coach; Wyatt James, eighth grade boys basketball coach; Mackenzie Wallace, eighth grade girls basketball coach; Collin Wallace, golf coach; Erica Elsasser, high school fall cheerleading advisor; Darcy Ruppright, volleyball head coach, junior class/prom advisor and extra curricular supervisor; Kaleb Howard, volleyball assistant coach; Bethanie Overly, eighth grade volleyball coach; Lucretia Fenwick, musical advisor and swing choir coordinator; Stephanie Jolliff, agriculture instructor supplemental 60 days and extra curricular supervisor; Lori Romie, agriculture instructor supplemental 60 days; and Matt Stemmer, extra curricular supervisor.
