Tech Valley High School Principal Dan Liebert announced his resignation this week as the school’s head administrator in order to take a position as a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership in Portland, Maine.
He will leave Tech Valley High at the end of its first semester, Jan. 29, after more than eight years as the school’s principal and chief academic officer.
“Tech Valley High School is one of the leading project-based learning schools in the country and has been nationally recognized for its innovative STEM-based education,” said Questar III BOCES Interim Superintendent and Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Charles S. Dedrick. “We owe many of our accomplishments at Tech Valley High School to Dan’s steadfast leadership. He will be sorely missed, but we wish him nothing but the best in his new position.”
The regional high school was formed in 2007 through a partnership of Questar III and Capital Region BOCES and is open to all students in public schools in the two BOCES service area.
“Dan Liebert did an excellent job at Tech Valley High School and he has been offered an opportunity to help other states create innovative schools,” Questar III Chief Executive Officer Gladys Cruz said. “We thank him for his work and leadership. We know he will be successful in his new position.”
In the coming weeks, administrators at the two BOCES will work to build a seamless leadership transition plan, which will include a national search for the next principal of Tech Valley High School. Input from students, staff, parents, area school superintendents and business partners will be solicited to help inform the selection of the best candidate to carry on the school’s legacy of innovation.
One of the integral pieces of Tech Valley High education is its close relationship with a regional Business Alliance, which helps ensure the school’s curriculum and activities connect to emerging technologies and real world work experiences.
“Dan’s commitment to partnering with the Business Alliance in both the programmatic and operational development of the school has made volunteering a tremendously rewarding and impactful experience,” Business Alliance Co-Chair Kelsey Kohler said. She is also the Global Shared Services Organization Design Leader for Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.
“We wish him well as he continues his work in innovative education through his new role with schools in New England,” she said. “The Business Alliance remains excited to continue our work with all the students and staff at Tech Valley High.”
In addition to the school’s connection to the Business Alliance, the Tech Valley Foundation Board plays a critical role in supporting the mission of Tech Valley High School.
“The Foundation Board has been pleased to work closely with Dan Liebert to bring resources that support the inspiring vision of Tech Valley High School,” Foundation Chair Dale Thuillez said. “We are gratified to learn that in his new position, he will be able to bring that vision to all of New England. We look forward to working with Tech Valley High as it transitions to its next leadership chapter.”
Liebert collaborated with the two BOCES and the national New Tech Network to build the project-based curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering and math. During his tenure at Tech Valley High School, Liebert guided the school through three building changes, culminating in its permanent location this year at the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
Under Liebert’s leadership, Tech Valley High School has:
- Been chosen to represent the New Tech Network on the Teaching Channel as an example of innovative, project-based learning.
- Developed deep and profound involvement by the Business Alliance, both in governing the school and in its classrooms, where business professionals are working with students in hands-on projects on a near daily basis.
- Hosted tours and professional development for hundreds of visiting educators from all over the world who come to Tech Valley High School to learn more about project-based learning.
- Found a permanent location tailored to suit its specific high-tech and collaborative academic needs on the campus of CNSE.
“The thing we’re most proud of is when our students come back and tell us ‘College is easy’ and that what they learned here taught them how to be successful after high school,” Liebert said.
After 28 years as a school administrator, Liebert said he looks forward to his next challenge with the Great Schools Partnership, where he will bring the innovation fostered at Tech Valley High School to other schools throughout New England.
“I always wanted to apply what I’ve learned through Tech Valley High School to help other schools innovate,” Liebert said. “Meanwhile, I’m confident our school is in excellent hands and will continue to innovate and thrive in the years to come.”
