Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli named Collier County Public School Superintendent

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Leslie Ricciardelli, the new Collier County school superintendent. CREDIT: WINK News

After months of searching, the Collier County School Board has appointed Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli as superintendent of the Collier County School District.

The final two candidates were Ricciardelli and Charles Van Zant Jr. The motion passed Wednesday night by a three to two vote.

According to the Collier County Public School district, the board will discuss contract terms, and what Dr. Ricciardelli’s start date will be at its next regular school board meeting on May 9. This will also allow contract negotiations to begin.

After the board and Dr. Ricciardelli enter a contract, Dr. Ricciardelli will become the 20th superintendent in the 100-year history of the CCPS.

Ricciardelli has led Collier County schools since former superintendent Dr. Kamela Patton and the school board mutually agreed to part ways in December. Ricciardelli has 23 years of experience in the district and has served as everything from a student education specialist to a school principal before her current job as interim superintendent.

Van Zant spent 18 years in the Clay County School District;14 as a school board member, then four more as a superintendent. He also spent 32 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

“They can go to Harvard and be law students, or they can be good American citizen plumbers and electricians; we can do it all,” Van Zant said. “But very few school systems are set up the way Collier County School board so clearly cast this vision. And I would love to partner with Collier County in achieving this.”

“I know this district; I know what our community needs,” Ricciardelli said. “I know the importance of our education system. I mean, these communities are really made by their education, their law enforcement, their health care, their government, and we have an exceptional education system. And I just feel like I can take it from good to great.”

“Once they understand that incredible price that was paid, and how much responsibility it takes to live as a citizen, how much is required of each of us, they can learn everything they need to learn: reading, writing, arithmetic… we can make them rock stars,” Van Zant said.

“Knowing the people… knowing the expectations of the families, the parents, and just really knowing other leaders in the community, that if I need something, I can go to and either gain their support or get their advice, get their input on things,” Ricciardelli said.

The board voted Wednesday night at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center. The meeting will be open to the public as well as streamed online.

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