Camden Central School District -

CAMDEN, NY - The Camden Central School District Board of Education is pleased to announce that it has selected its two finalists for the role of Superintendent of Schools.

The selection of finalists is the latest step in a comprehensive process for the Board to appoint a new school district leader. The Board has been working with the Madison Oneida BOCES District Superintendent & CEO, Scott A. Budelmann, as its search consultant since November, and the process opened formally in early January. 

In partnership with Budelmann, the District took several opportunities to engage internal and external constituencies about the search. Ahead of a February 15th application deadline, Budelmann held four employee meetings to explain the search process, and attended a Board of Education meeting to explain the process to the public. Additionally, he conducted meetings with the Board of Education and five Stakeholder Advisory Committees to learn the traits most desired of the District’s next Superintendent of Schools. The District also solicited community feedback through a survey. Screening interviews and reference checks were performed by Budelmann, and the Board engaged in a confidential interview process that narrowed the pool of nine potential candidates to two finalists.

Four candidates were invited to interview with the Board of Education, and two finalists were selected after three rounds of interviews.

The finalists will interview with the Stakeholder Advisory Committees during the upcoming week. The committees will provide advisory information to the Board through Budelmann. Once the Board assesses that information, it will determine next steps to complete the process. The Board anticipates the successful candidate will begin their duties in summer 2025, as originally projected. 

The two finalists are Mr. Brent Suddaby, and Mr. Jason Evangelist. 

Mr. Suddaby is in his fourth year as Superintendent of Schools for the Candor Central School District in Candor, NY. The District has two buildings, over 650 students, and approximately 150 staff members. At Candor, Mr. Suddaby is responsible for all facets of operations including instructional leadership, finance and budget management, and personnel. His highlights include the development of a strategic plan, significant enhancements to the District’s professional development programming in the area of literacy including the adoption of a “Science of Reading”-aligned initiative, and an increase in high-impact instructional practices and interventions through an expansion of the Multi-Tier System of Supports system to all grade levels including Pre-kindergarten. He also worked with the community to help establish a Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA). Mr Suddaby is in his 28th year working in education as a teacher or administrator. He started his education career in 1997 as a special education teacher in the Westhill Central School District, and spent ten years in that position. Following his time at Westhill, he transitioned to the Mexico Central School District to pursue administrative opportunities. He spent one year as an administrative intern, and two more as the District’s director of pupil services. Prior to his current role, Suddaby served as an elementary principal in two different districts. He was the principal of Tully Elementary School in Tully, NY for two years, and spent the next nine years as principal of Stonehedge Elementary School in the West Genesee School District before accepting the role of Superintendent at Candor in 2021. Suddaby holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from SUNY Cortland, a Master of Science degree in Special Education from SUNY Oswego, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland. He resides in Syracuse. 

Mr. Evangelist is in his fourth year with the Camden Central School District. He has served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction since July of 2021, and has most recently served as the District’s Interim Superintendent of Schools. As Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Mr. Evangelist has been responsible for all aspects of instructional leadership, professional development, and curriculum oversight with the District. An immediate priority was the introduction of the Multi-Tier System of Supports framework to enable targeted student interventions. He collaborated with instructional and administrative staff to launch a grassroots elementary literacy initiative based in the “Science of Reading” philosophy. He has also provided his oversight to developing the District’s portfolio of early childhood programming for students two and three years old, including the re-introduction of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. At the upper grade levels, he helped to introduce a manufacturing/engineering school-to-work program in cooperation with International Wire. Mr. Evangelist is in his 26th year working in education. His career began in 1999 with the Whitesboro Central School District, where he taught in a multi-age classroom spanning second and third grades. After six years of teaching, Mr. Evangelist progressed to administrative work, starting with one year as an assistant principal in the Westmoreland Central School District. In 2006, Mr. Evangelist began service as principal of Nicholas A. Walbran Elementary in the Oriskany Central School District. He remained in that role until 2013, when he was offered the opportunity to serve his hometown as the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Accountability for grades K-4 in the Rome City School District. From January 2017 until June 2021, Mr. Evangelist was the Superintendent of Schools in the Holland Patent Central School District, where he made gains in student well-being, financial leadership, and professional development. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland, a Master of Science in Reading from SUNY Cortland, and a School District Administrator Certification from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He currently resides in Rome.

Board of Education president Katherine Stone was pleased with the caliber of candidates interviewed by the Board.

"The Board was ecstatic about the interest that our District and our communities received from such a highly qualified pool of candidates," Stone said. "We had many exceptional applicants, and we are pleased to be considering two student-driven, talented, and committed leaders for the opportunity to be our next Superintendent of Schools."

For more information, please contact Scott A. Budelmann, District Superintendent & CEO / Search Consultant, Madison-Oneida BOCES at 315-361-5510.