April Poprilo named interim leader of Nassau BOCES
April Poprilo was appointed as Western Suffolk BOCES district superintendent effective in May, according to its website. She will lead Nassau BOCES on an interim basis. Credit: Western Suffolk BOCES
Western Suffolk BOCES District Superintendent April Poprilo has been named interim leader for the nearby Nassau BOCES after the death last month of its district superintendent, Robert Dillon, education officials said.
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa asked Poprilo to serve in the role effective Aug. 14, according to an email from state Education Department spokeswoman Keshia Clukey. The Nassau BOCES board will retroactively accept the appointment at its next meeting Aug. 31, said Angela Marshall, spokeswoman for the agency.
“I am honored to assist Nassau BOCES during this transitional period," Poprilo said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the team in support of their component school districts.”
The Nassau BOCES serves nearly 55 school districts, helping to provide programming like vocational training, special-needs education and other services.
“We look forward to working with Ms. Poprilo as interim superintendent while the Nassau BOCES Board of Education looks to hire a new district superintendent for our agency," Marshall said.
Poprilo was appointed as Western Suffolk BOCES district superintendent effective in May, according to its website. From 2008 to 2013, she worked with the Nassau BOCES as an assistant principal for adult education, that agency said.
In the interim role, she will work closely to oversee operations with deputy superintendent and chief operating officer James Widmer, who has been overseeing the agency since April.
Dillon died July 28 from complications of spinal surgery in April. He had joined the Nassau BOCES in 2015.
Western Suffolk BOCES District Superintendent April Poprilo has been named interim leader for the nearby Nassau BOCES after the death last month of its district superintendent, Robert Dillon, education officials said.
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa asked Poprilo to serve in the role effective Aug. 14, according to an email from state Education Department spokeswoman Keshia Clukey. The Nassau BOCES board will retroactively accept the appointment at its next meeting Aug. 31, said Angela Marshall, spokeswoman for the agency.
“I am honored to assist Nassau BOCES during this transitional period," Poprilo said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the team in support of their component school districts.”
The Nassau BOCES serves nearly 55 school districts, helping to provide programming like vocational training, special-needs education and other services.
“We look forward to working with Ms. Poprilo as interim superintendent while the Nassau BOCES Board of Education looks to hire a new district superintendent for our agency," Marshall said.
Poprilo was appointed as Western Suffolk BOCES district superintendent effective in May, according to its website. From 2008 to 2013, she worked with the Nassau BOCES as an assistant principal for adult education, that agency said.
In the interim role, she will work closely to oversee operations with deputy superintendent and chief operating officer James Widmer, who has been overseeing the agency since April.
Dillon died July 28 from complications of spinal surgery in April. He had joined the Nassau BOCES in 2015.
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
