Dr. Lisamarie Spindler head shot

Dr. Lisamarie Spindler, Ed.D.

The Hudson City School District (HCSD) Board of Education selected Dr. Lisamarie Spindler to be its next Superintendent of Schools, effective February 1, 2022. Dr. Spindler was appointed by the Board at its meeting on December 21. She will succeed Dr. Maria Lagana Suttmeier, who is retiring from the school district in January after serving as superintendent for almost 10 years.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next Superintendent of the Hudson City School District. I am excited to build upon the school district’s mission and vision and look forward to meeting our scholars, staff, and community members and getting to work,” said Dr. Spindler.

Dr. Spindler comes to Hudson from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District where she serves as Assistant Superintendent of Finance. She was previously Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and a kindergarten through fifth grade principal in Newburgh. Dr. Spindler also served as a middle school principal and high school assistant principal at Warwick Valley Central School District. She started her career as a sixth grade teacher at the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District.

Dr. Spindler is a certified Special Education, Reading and Elementary Education teacher as well as a certified School Building, School District Business, and School District Leader. She has a bachelor’s degree in Science and Elementary Education from SUNY Oneonta, a master’s degree of Professional Studies, Special Education and Reading from Manhattanville College, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College.

“Dr. Lisamarie Spindler stood out among a strong pool of candidates. Her skills, experience, and background make her the right person to lead our school district. The Board looks forward to working with her,” said Board President Carrie Otty.

The HCSD Board of Education offered Dr. Spindler the position following an extensive search and interview process, which began in August 2021 with assistance from Questar III BOCES. The Board asked the community to provide feedback on the desired characteristics of the next superintendent and received 416 submissions via an online survey. Otty said the community’s feedback was reflected in the development of a recruitment brochure and the interview questions.

A stakeholder group consisting of 12 students, parents, staff, and community members assisted the Board in interviewing five semi-finalist candidates. Additional data provided by the stakeholder group was used to narrow the pool for finalist interviews, which were conducted on December 6.

“We would like to thank our parents, staff, students, and community members for their input and feedback throughout the search process,” said Otty.