Schools

Cuyahoga Valley Career Center's New Superintendent Plans to Connect with the Community

Celena Roebuck wants to get the community more involved with the center

At the beginning of the month, Celena Roebuck officially began her new job as the superintendent of the . 

The Cuyahoga Valley Career Center is a career and technical center that serves the communities of eight school districts, including , Revere and . Those services include high school classes for students who want to focus on a specific career path, adult education and career programming for students of all ages. 

Roebuck said this spring that one of her big goals as superintendent will be to get the community even more involved with the center, reaching people who might not use it often. She plans to meet with key leaders in each district in the government, the schools and the business community, learning how the center can better serve them. She also said she wants to continue programs like “,” informal lunch meetings where the superintendent meets with and talks to members of the community. 

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Roebuck was energized that spring day, talking the day after she first met with staff as the incoming superintendent. She had planned to meet with the board early in the summer to plan the community meetings and start work on long-term plans. She said it’s important to take advantage of the energy that comes with the transition of a new leader.

“If you don’t, you’re really going to miss some great chances,” she said. 

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Roebuck brought some interesting, innovative ideas to the board about how to better serve the districts during the selection process, said Board of Education President Steve Shebeck. He didn’t want to give away details, but he said there are some interesting things planned for the center.  

The next step, he added, was for the board to sit down with Roebuck and map out expectations for the first year, so she clearly understands what is expected. That will happen throughout July.

Roebuck was named the next superintendent at the , with her contract to begin July 1. Roebuck had been the assistant superintendent at the center and had years of experience in career and technical education before that.

All of the candidates were qualified, Shebeck said. Of the two finalists, Roebuck had leadership experience at the career center and experience in career and technical education. The other was a superintendent at a K-12 district but didn't have experience in career and technical education. The main question for the board was, “where can we afford to have a learning curve?” Shebeck said, adding that the board decided that they couldn’t afford to “lose the momentum” at the center.  

, the former superintendent, said earlier this spring that he was pleased with the board’s decision, noting that Roebuck had been an integral part of the center’s success in her time there. He had recruited and promoted Roebuck while he was leading the center and said that she “not only met, but exceeded my expectations.” 

Roebuck said she likes that the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center is student-focused, where the kids come first, and that the staff likes to be part of the solution when problems arise. Things get done at the center, Roebuck said. 

“It’s a work ethic of, a good idea is going to get done,” she said.

Communities should be proud of the center, Roebuck said. She’s seen it reinvent itself over the past decade, and she would like to continue helping it reach the members of the community.

“It is a great school,” she said.


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