PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Escambia County School District has a new leader. After a lengthy search, the school board voted this week to appoint Dr. Timothy Smith as superintendent, replacing Malcolm Thomas, who is retiring in November.
The board discussed the decision for more than an hour Tuesday night before voting to hire Smith, who currently serves as executive area director of high schools for Orange County Public Schools in Florida.
Smith’s career in education includes principalships at Winter Park High School, Freedom Middle School and Howard Middle School, as well as roles as an assistant principal, administrative dean and teacher.
The selection process began earlier this year and included community input sessions and candidate interviews. A citizens advisory committee reviewed 27 applicants and narrowed the field to four finalists, who were interviewed publicly last week.