Danvers 3 Superintendent Of Schools Finalists To Visit Next Week

DANVERS, MA — The Danvers School Committee on Tuesday revealed the three finalists to become the district's next Superintendent of Schools.

Marblehead High School Principal Daniel Bauer, Medford Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Peter Cushing and Scarborough (Maine) Superintendent Geoff Bruno were chosen as lead candidates out of a finalist field of seven to take over the permanent role that has been vacant since former Superintendent Lisa Dana went on medical leave last December.

Mary Wermers has served as an Acting Superintendent of Schools for the past 12 months.

The finalists will visit Danvers Public Schools for three days starting Jan. 5, Jan. 6 and Jan. 9 when they will tour the schools and have an opportunity to meet with staff, families, and community members, and take part in public interviews.

The Danvers School Committee said that it now plans to select a new superintendent of schools on Jan. 9.

"We would like to thank the members of the interview committee for their role in selecting and interviewing seven candidates which led to the selection of three outstanding finalists," the Danvers School Committee said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon.

Bauer has been the Principal at Marblehead High School since 2016. He previously served as Beverly High Assistant Principal for 10 years and taught social studies at Masconomet for five years.

He is a curriculum, teaching and leadership doctoral candidate at Northeastern University and holds a master's degree in organizational management from Endicott College as well as a master's in teaching degree from Tufts University. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Bruno has been the Superintendent in Scarborough since 2021 and was the Falmouth (Maine) Superintendent for seven years. He also has administrative experience in Massachusetts as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Saugus for two years and as the Belmonte Middle School Principal for three years. He also worked in Georgetown, Hopkinton and Lawrence.

Bruno is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maine, earning his master's in educational leadership from Boston University and his bachelor's degree in government from Wesleyan University.

Cushing has been the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at Medford Public Schools since 2019. He was previously the Principal at Webster High School and was the high school Vice Principal and middle school Principal in the Narragansett School District. He also taught high school history in Arlington and taught in Lynn Public Schools for four years.

Cushing earned his doctorate in education and a master's in Education from Boston College and his bachelor of arts degree from Saint Anselm College.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)