Following an extensive search, the Locust Valley School Board is excited to announce the upcoming appointment of our educational leader, Dr. Kristen Turnow.
Dr. Turnow joins Locust Valley from the Springs School District in East Hampton where she served as the Director of Pupil Personnel and Chief Information Officer. Dr. Turnow brings more than 20 years of instructional, building, and central administration experience to Locust Valley.
During the search, it became clear that Dr. Turnow was the educational leader that Locust Valley was seeking to stabilize and further academic excellence for all students. Dr. Turnow’s strong leadership, clear vision, trust, teamwork, and effective communication skills were demonstrated in each phase of the interview process. She expressed that Locust Valley was a place she wanted to continue learning and share her expertise with making it her "home". The board of education was impressed by her breadth of academic knowledge and the time she took to research and learn about us as a community. Her genuine interest in wanting to be part of Locust Valley was clear.
Throughout Dr. Turnow’s career, her work has allowed the honing of her expertise in all competencies needed for the Superintendency. Her roles spanned from Director of Guidance, Director of Special Education, Program Administrator of Student Data Services, Director of District Wide Testing & Technology, building level administration, and teaching.
As a lifelong learner, Dr. Turnow has been an adjunct professor teaching at multiple Colleges and Universities which include Stony Brook University, College of St. Rose, St. Joseph’s College, and Dowling College. Her academic coursework ranges from, but is not limited to, educating future Administrators on Leadership and School-Wide Management to Research in Child Development, Educational Administration, Curriculum Development, Personnel Administration, Qualitative Research Methods, and Assessment of Program Planning for Diverse learners, to name a few.
Dr. Turnow has expressed to the board that her “totality of administrative experience coupled with her never-ending quest for learning and teaching future educational leaders, has taught her the importance of building and fostering relationships to support teachers in performing their most important work: to educate our most vital asset — our children.” Dr. Turnow, aside from being a leader and educator, is the proud parent of four children who attended public schools throughout their academic careers.
The LV BOE will be appointing Dr. Turnow at a special board meeting on May 24 at 6:00 p.m. and her appointment will commence on July 1, 2023.