The director of education at the local English Catholic school board has decided to call it a career.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board announced at its trustees' meeting Tuesday night that Terry Lyons will retire on July 31.Lyons will end a 32-year career in education by steering the school system through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed a desire to travel and spend more time with his family.
"This has been the most challenging, but also the most rewarding part of my career," said Lyons. "I was honoured to have the opportunity to serve this school board, our students, and their families. I’ve always lived by the credo that we need to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we were today, and I think that has resonated with so many of our staff who are clearly committed to continually finding new and better ways to help our students succeed."
Lyons spent his career in Windsor-Essex education. First a teacher, he later served as a vice-principal, a principal, and then a superintendent within the Greater Essex County District School Board. He joined WECDSB in 2015 as the executive superintendent of human resources. Two years later, Lyons was chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Picard as director of education.
Board chairman Fulvio Valentinis praised Lyons for his leadership ability during the pandemic and pointed to accomplishments such as securing the land for a new Catholic Central High School.
"He is an exceptional leader and a great mentor who knows what it takes to build a great team," said Valentinis. "He has a strong moral compass that has always guided him and his faith defines his decisions. He has been a true champion of Catholic education and he will definitely be missed by trustees, and his many friends and colleagues throughout the system."
The board will now begin a comprehensive search for Lyons' successor.
