School Board Approves New Administrators

Two key administrative positions in Westlake City Schools were officially filled this week as the board of education approved the hiring of Anne Pyros and David Kocevar.

Kocevar will be business director. Pyros will be director of human resources. 

Pyros is succeeding Michael Laub, who is leaving to become . Pyros comes to Westlake from North Olmsted, where she has been associate superintendent, district learning resource supervisor, principal of Chestnut Intermediate School, and assistant principal and math teacher at North Olmsted Middle School. She was principal at in Avon Lake from 1999 to 2003.

"My job is not only to recruit the best personnel, but retain them," she said. "It's about providing support, professional development and resources. But it's also about making them feel supported and heard, that their input has value, so that they want to stay."

In addition to her North Olmsted job, Pyros is an adjunct professor/instructor at Ashland University. She is also a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, International Dyslexia Association and Learning Forward. She and her family live in Bay Village.

Kocevar is filling the spot opened when was named the district's supervisor of construction projects. Stan Lipinski has been filling in for Puffer since then.

Kocevar comes to Westlake from Wooster City Schools, where he has worked for 19 years, the last 11 as director of business and community affairs. His experience includes facility/environmental engineering, school district design and construction management.

"There are a lot of similarities (between Westlake and Wooster)," Kocevar said. "There is a great staff that is very caring aout students. My job is to make sure that we're a good steward of community funds and that students have the best possible environment for learning."

He and his wife, Barbara, have three grown children and are looking to relocate to the Westlake area from near Ashland.