Meet New Ripon Superintendent Mr. Ron Rivard
The Ripon Area School District will welcome Ron Rivard as the new superintendent beginning on July 1, 2025. The Board of Education approved Mr. Rivard's two-year contract at the April 21 regular meeting. Mr. Rivard attended the meeting with his family and received a warm welcome and shared, “I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to serve Ripon as its next superintendent. I look forward to working with our school district staff and engaging with the community as we continue to build on the foundation of excellence that is already well established in Ripon.”
He will work with the School Board at their April 28 Reorganizational Meeting to map out the transition plan, which will include working with current Superintendent Mary Whitrock, the District’s administrative team, and the business office. Board President David Scott notes, “Ron brings a variety of administrative experience to our district, and with Mary’s help, as well as that of the entire administrative team, we expect a seamless transition as we change superintendents. We look forward to maintaining and expanding our strengths under his leadership.”
Currently, Mr. Rivard serves as the principal and curriculum director for Randall Consolidated School District J1. Before that role, he worked as an administrator in South Milwaukee, Waukesha, Waterford, and Muskego-Norway. Rivard earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his principal and director of instruction licensure from Cardinal Stritch University, and his superintendent licensure from Cardinal Stritch and Concordia Universities.
|
Superintendent Search
The Board of Education partnered with Hazard, Young, and Attea (HYA), a national consulting firm, in the search for the next superintendent for Ripon Area School District. In December 2024, Superintendent Dr. Mary Whitrock announced she would retire at the end of June 2025 following 12 years of service to the community. Through the search process the Board connected with stakeholders to gather information from the community about what Ripon was looking for in our next superintendent. The results of their meetings with focus groups and a community-wide survey as well as a Day in the District with the three top finalists guided the Board in the process. The feedback is available on this page. (updated 4/22/25).
|
Leadership Profile Report
The RASD Leadership Profile Report presents the findings of the Leadership Profile Assessment conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) during the month of February 2025. HYA consultants met with a variety of focus groups including parents, staff, students, and an array of community groups. They met with each school board member, the administrative team, and the administrative services team. Additional information was gathered through an online survey which ran from February 10 - 27, 2025.
The interviews, focus group meetings, and survey were structured to gather input to assist the Board in determining the primary characteristics desired in the new superintendent as well as information regarding the strengths of the District and some of the opportunities for growth. The data is not a scientific sampling, nor does it necessarily represent the majority opinion of each respective group.
|
Timeline
- February 2025: Individual interviews with School Board members (completed)
- February 2025: Interviews/focus groups (completed)
- February 17, 2025: Stakeholder Survey opens (completed)
- February 27, 2025: Stakeholder Survey closes (completed)
- March 13, 2025: HYA presents the District Leadership Profile and slate of candidates to the School Board (completed)
- March 29, 2025: School Board conducts first-round interviews and identifies semi-finalists
- Aril 3, 2025: Finalists Day in the District
- April 7, 2025: School Board conducts final interviews
- April 2025: HYA third party background check
- April 2025: Superintendent's hiring approved and announced
- July 1, 2025: Superintendent's contract formally begins
|
Focus Groups & Survey
The Board of Education thanks everyone who took the time to attend a Focus Group session and/or complete the Superintendent Search Survey which closed on February 27, 2025. Your feedback was compiled by HYA and used to create the RASD Leadership Profile which was presented to the Board on March 13 and will be used in their selection process.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOCUS GROUP SCHEDULE
|
|
|
