A New Jersey educator with Connecticut experience and a veteran Danbury educator have been named to new district leadership posts, Superintendent Sal Pascarella announced Wednesday.

Kevin L. Walston has been named assistant superintendent for School and District Development, while Kara Quinn Casimiro has been named director of Instruction and Assessment. The jobs were created to replace the position of deputy superintendent, with the pending retirement of Bill Glass.

Walston began his career as a teacher before moving into building leadership positions with Global Partnership Schools, including as principal of Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport.  He was districtwide director of Instructional Leadership in Waterbury Public Schools before taking on his current position of assistant superintendent of Administration in South Orange and Maplewood, N.J.

There, he has broad responsibilities including the oversight and evaluation of building principals.

“Because of his experience as both a building principal and as a districtwide educational leader, Kevin Walston has the critical knowledge, experience and vision we need to continue our march toward closing the achievement gap and preparing Danbury students for a 21st century world,” Pascarella said. “His demonstrated commitment to educational equity and increased access to education for all kids is well matched to our district’s goals.”

Walston earned a bachelor’s degree from City University of New York, Lehman College.  He also holds a master’s degree in School Administration and Supervision, and a professional diploma in School District Administration, both from The College of New Rochelle.

Casimiro began her career as a social studies teacher in Danbury, at REACH/Endeavor and Broadview Middle School, before moving into positions of educational leadership districtwide.  During this time, Casimiro was also selected as an Urban School Leaders Fellow through Harvard University and the Connecticut Center for School Change.

Casimiro currently holds the position of district curriculum administrator of humanities for K-12 students.

“Ms. Casimiro has demonstrated time and again her ability to work collaboratively with teachers and her colleagues to continue to push for the consistently high quality instruction that drives our students’ ability to succeed,” Pascarella said.  “Her work as a key leader on our Instructional Development Team positioned her well to oversee and evaluate instruction across the district, to get our teachers the tools they need to be even more effective, and to assess how their work is ultimately enriching our students.  She will be an excellent addition to our core instructional leadership team.”

Casimiro earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Connecticut State University, and a master’s in Secondary Education, a Sixth-Year Certificate of Advanced Study in Secondary Education, and an Administrative Certificate, all from the University of Bridgeport.