Dr. Larry Rowedder of Cumberland County School District in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has been named among 100 of the best school administrators in North America by The Executive Educator, a magazine for school professionals.
Rowedder was cited in "The Executive Educator 100," a blue ribbon listing similar to the Fortune 500 or the Forbes 400 for business and industry. The educators were recognized for their excellent leadership and outstanding professional achievements during their years of school administration. They were selected for the honor by an independent panel of nationally recognized experts on school administration.
The outstanding educators were featured in a special report which appeared in the February issue of The Executive Educator magazine. In his profile, Rowedder states, "Most of all, I'd like to be known as having had a positive impact on the people in Cumberland County."

Rowedder is president of the Cincinnati Public Schools/ Mayerson Human Resource Development Academy, Cincinnati. He assumed the presidency of the newly founded academy in January.
The profile states: The academy, with seed money from the Mayerson Foundation, will be the staff-development center for teachers and administrators in the Cincinnati Public Schools. It's a natural next step for Rowedder. Until the end of December, he was superintendent of the Cumberland County Schools (K-12; enrollment 47,600) in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he successfully implemented the school board's goal of raising student test scores. The key: a $1 million staff development plan.
"Our teachers and principals started doing things differently than they ever had before," says Rowedder. A lead principal program has principals working with their peers. Rowedder also cut the central office in half and moved decision making to the building level.

Last spring, Rowedder guided passage of the district's first successful bond issue since the late 1970s. "It was a grass-roots effort, with lots of parent involvement and business community buy-in," he said. And in June, the second phase of the strategic plan was launched. Among the goals: To create safer schools, raise standards of conduct, and develop a community of readers.
Rowedder, 51, is the son of Glenn and Dorothy Rowedder of Manning. He is a 1959 graduate of Manning High School. He graduated from Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, with a BA in 1964, and earned his Master's degree in 1965.

He began his career as a football coach in his home town, serving the Manning schools for five years.

He went on to serve as principal at Holstein, Denison and Newton. During these years he continued his education at Iowa State University and in 1980 he received his Doctorate degree in Educational Administration.
He then served as superintendent at Denison for five years, followed by five years at Green River, Wyoming. From there he served three years each at Bloomington, Indiana, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, before accepting his current position.
Rowedder and his wife Nancy (Loftus) have three children: Tammy Anderson of Fayetteville, North Carolina; Michael, who is employed at Piper Jeffries Investment Co. in Des Moines, Iowa; and Jackie Kemp, who will graduate from Grand View College in Des Moines in April with a degree in Elementary Education. The couple has one granddaughter.

Upon Dr. Rowedder's transition from the Cumberland County Schools to his current position with the Cincinnati Academy, James Gum, the lead principal for the Cincinnati school stated, "The Cumberland County Schools (where Rowedder was superintendent) have one of the most healthy, productive approaches to delivering services in the classroom that I have ever seen."
Also honored as one of the Executive Educator 100 was Joseph M. Scalzo, 52, superintendent of the Ottumwa, Iowa, Community School District. Scalzo is the son-in-law of Wilmer and Vila Ranniger of Manning.

In his profile, Scalzo states, "The bottom line is what's best for all kids." Scalzo aims to reach all students in his district, especially those who are the least successful and who will remain in the community rather than leave for college.
To help improve the learning results of all Ottumwa students, Scalzo initiated a strategic planning process at the board's request. The results include a fouryear process to implement individualized computer instruction in all grade levels and schools, a pilot preschool program, and the introduction of a middle school. "We're not just shooting for higher test scores, we're trying to make the kids better learners," Scalzo stated. Enrollment of the Ottumwa School District (K-12) is 5,028. Scalzo has served the school since 1990. His wife, Joan, is a student events coordinator for Southern Prairie Area Education Agency. The couple has two daughters, Andrea, 15, and Lisa, 13.

Each of the 1993 Executive Educator 100 is responsible for strategies, programs, and philosophies that have made a significant difference for the students in their schools. Together, their outstanding contributions serve as clear evidence that elementary and secondary schools possess the talented, highly skilled leadership necessary to make U.S. schools world-class.