The Northwest R-1 Board of Education has promoted Elizabeth Green to take over as the Woodridge Middle School principal next school year.
The board also hired two new people to fill the director of technology and director of facilities jobs that will be vacated at the end of this school year due to retirements.
Zachary Pizzullo will be the new director of technology, and Kasey Schaffer has been named the new director of facilities.
New principal
Green, a 2005 Northwest High School graduate, will replace current Woodridge Principal Shannon Umfleet, who is retiring at the end of the school year, after nearly three decades with the district.
Green, 36, of Cedar Hill currently is the assistant principal at Woodridge Middle School, a role she has held since 2018.
Prior to that, Green was a teacher’s assistant from 2008-2012 at Valley Middle School and then moved on to Northwest High School where she taught English for six years. In addition, Green previously coached cheerleading for 15 years, and one of her squads won a state championship in 2019.
“Dr. Green is a loyal Lion for life, one of the most spirited people I’ve met,” said Doréan Dow, assistant superintendent of secondary schools. “She lives blue and white and is dedicated to this community. She is already a critical part of our administrative team, as an assistant principal, and has time and again proven that she is a thoughtful and skilled leader.
“She has a vision for the future of Woodridge Middle School and will work hard alongside her staff and families to ensure our students find success each day.”
Green earned two master’s degrees from Missouri Baptist University: one in classroom teaching, and one in educational administration. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Maryville University in 2019.
Green and her husband, Jacob, have two children who attend Northwest schools: Jayden, 14, and Maiya, 12.
“I am excited to continue my leadership journey at Woodridge,” Green said. “I have been so fortunate to learn from some of the best mentors who have helped to prepare me for this next step. I find great joy in building supportive relationships with the students at Woodridge, and seeing their growth and success is very rewarding.
“I look forward to implementing some new strategies to take our achievement to the next level, both with our students and our staff.”
Northwest spokesman Chuck McPherson said 17 people applied for the principal position. Green’s annual salary as principal will be $103,455. She currently makes $90,593 as an assistant principal.
Umfleet is being paid $110,338.35 this school year.
New technology director
Pizzullo will take over as the director of technology after Cindy Horn retires at the end of this school year after 29 years with the district.
Pizzullo, 49, of Wildwood has 23 years of information technology experience in schools and comes to Northwest from Allen Independent School District in Texas, where he served as the director of technology operations and an IT infrastructure architect from 2015-2022. From 2006-2015, he was a network engineer at Val Verde Unified School District in California and a help desk analyst and network technician at Riverside Unified School District California from 1999-2006.
Pizzullo earned a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University in 1997. He also has taken courses in programming at Mount San Jacinto Community College and database administration from University of California-Riverside.
“When we interviewed Zachary, his previous experience in working with school districts really shined,” said chief operating officer Mark Janiesch. “Having that background and understanding how school systems work along with coordinating the timing of when things should be completed is key.
“He not only has a depth of experience in leading IT professionals within his team but has experience with collaborating with other departments such as facilities to get various projects and upgrades completed. We are all looking forward to working with Zachary in the upcoming year.”
Pizzullo and his wife, Stacey, have a dog, Neo. They recently moved to Missouri to be closer to family.
“I am extremely excited about the new role with the Northwest School District and can’t wait to get started,” he said. “With over 20 years of K-12 experience, I am thankful for the opportunity to work for Northwest School District. I am looking forward to working with the leadership team, technology services and staff to provide technology that will enhance the classroom environment.”
McPherson said the district had eight applicants for the position. Pizzullo’s will be paid $92,403 next school year. Horn’s salary is $108,089.20 this school year.
New facilities director
Schaffer, 33, of Traverse City, Mich., is replacing director of facilities Ron Hill, who is retiring at the end of this school year after working 22 years for the district.
According to the school district, Schaffer, a 2008 Northwest High School graduate, has vast knowledge in energy management, sustainability, commercial HVAC, electrical maintenance and installation, and property maintenance experience.
He is currently a facilities manager for Westwind Construction, where he has been since 2022. From 2012-2022, he worked as a warehouse facilities driver, then trades specialist and finally facilities supervisor at Special School District in St. Louis County. He also has experience at Northwest, where he was a facilities technician substitute for several years.
Schaffer has many facilities-related certifications.
“When we interviewed Kasey, he definitely presented that he was extremely thorough and detail oriented – which is very important in the director of facilities role,” Janiesch said. “Kasey has experience in working in a school district environment; therefore he has the knowledge of when to schedule projects to work around class schedules so that repairs and remodels will cause the least amount of disruption.
“Kasey has a wide variety of experience that he is bringing to the district and has experience with working with other departments to get projects and remodels completed as well. Kasey will be a great addition to the Northwest team.”
Schaffer said he is looking forward to moving back to the area.
“I have three children and my oldest is excited to be back in Northwest Schools,” he said. “I am originally from the Jefferson County area, I’m a Northwest alumni, and I am thrilled to be serving the community in this new position. We can’t wait to be back in our hometown once again.”
McPherson said 18 people applied for the job.
Schaffer’s annual salary as Northwest director of facilities will be $84,549.60. Hill currently makes $96,505.85 a year.
On Feb. 23, the Northwest school board voted 5-0 with one abstention to promote Green and 6-0 to hire Pizullo and Schaeffer. Board member Terri Green abstained from the vote to promote Green, and Retta Tuggle was absent from the meeting.
Umfleet, Horn, and Hill are retiring effective June 30. Green, Pizzullo, and Schaffer will begin their respective job on July 1.