PEOPLE

School Administrator, June, 2000

Karen Bates

The new superintendent of the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Wash., is Karen Bates, a native of Kirkland and a graduate of the Lake Washington district. She served the previous year as interim superintendent in Lake Washingtonand has spent her 27-year career in the district. Bates earlier worked as deputy superintendent.

James R. Blair Jr.

After three years as superintendent of the Cullman, Ala., City Schools, James Blair has moved into the top berth of the Vestavia Hills City School District in Birmingham, Ala. He previously was assistant superintendent of the Muscle Shoals, Ala., City Schools. Blair earlier spent 18 years in the Opelika, Ala., City Schools.

Wayne W. Doyle

Following a 13-year stint as superintendent of the Gateway School District in Monroeville, Pa., Wayne Doyle has assumed the superintendency of the Hempfield Area School District in Greensburg, Pa. Doyle, the 2000 Pennsylvania State Superintendent of the Year, earlier served as superintendent in two other Pennsylvania systems.

Marcia A. Veshia Lukon

The Norfolk, Mass., Public School District has appointed Marcia Veshia Lukon as its new superintendent. She moved to the Norfolk position following 2 1/2 years as the director of curriculum in Westford, Mass. Earlier Lukon was an elementary principal in the Stafford and Plainville school districts, both in Connecticut.

Robert R. Smotherman

The National Association for Year Round Education has elected Robert Smotherman as its new president-elect. He will assume the presidency in February 2001. Smotherman has been the superintendent of the Bardstown, Ky.,

Independent School District since 1983. Earlier he served in Kingsport, Tenn., in several posts.

John W. Thompson

John Thompson has been named to the superintendency of the 38,846-student Pittsburgh, Pa., School District. He spent the last six years as superintendent of the Tulsa, Okla., Public Schools. Thompson formerly served the Kentucky Department of Education as deputy commissioner and worked as superintendent in various North Carolina school systems.