Panama Names Emily Harvey New District Superintendent

PANAMA — Panama Central School has officially filled the role of superintendent with an in-house hire who will be a familiar face for many in the community.

Emily Harvey, current director of instruction and special education at Panama Central School, was officially announced to be taking on the superintendent role during a special meeting of the Board of Education on Monday night. Harvey takes on this role from interim superintendent Bert Lictus, who took over for former superintendent Aaron Wolfe after his resignation in March. Harvey’s official start date is Aug. 1.

“I decided I wanted to be Panama’s next superintendent because I have been at the district for 26 years in various roles and I wanted to continue my next step in my leadership career, but I wanted to be able to take that next step at Panama,” Harvey said. “Panama has a special place in my heart and I’m happy to be able to take this next step here.”

Harvey said it is an honor for her to be chosen to lead the district as the next Superintendent, saying that she believes Panama is a special place and that she believes in the school’s mission and dedication to excellence. She added that she looks forward to pursuing future successes and tackling challenges that small rural districts face.

Harvey first came to Panama in 1999 as a school counselor. She was then hired as a high school principal at Panama in 2010, and her current position as director of instruction and special education followed that in 2014. She also served as a shared director of instruction and special education with Clymer during the time where the two districts shared a superintendent and were looking into a potential merger process the first time.

“Because I have had a few different roles in the district it has helped me learn to serve the students, staff and community in different ways,” Harvey said. “It will help me understand where we need to focus to be successful and provide students with the resources and opportunities that they need.”

Moving into this role, Harvey said she is most looking forward to building relationships with stakeholders and the school board and community members as superintendent, along with being able to continue to bring students everything they need to be successful. Additionally, she said her goals are to be creative and find ways to problem solve to utilize resources they have for student success.

“My goal is to always look at what we can do better and meet the needs of students to provide them an educational experience that they deserve,” Harvey said. “Panama holds a special place in my heart and I’m grateful to be able to continue my journey here. I’m thankful for the opportunity and to be at Panama. I have a connection to the district and I’m motivated to lead it to be successful.”

Harvey said she is grateful to the school and community for her professional experience and that she looks forward to continuing to work with them towards excellence.

“I’m excited for the work that needs to be done,” Harvey said. “It’s a busy time and I’m excited for the challenge and thankful to be able to take my next steps at Panama.”