The Board of Education has appointed Terry Bordell as Chatham Central School District’s new director of innovation, curriculum, and assessment, starting November 12, 2024. Many of you may know Mr. Bordell as a long-time English teacher, varsity girls basketball coach, and former assistant principal at Chatham High School.
“Having worked here for nearly 16 years and knowing Chatham is a great school district with an excellent teacher-leader structure, I’m really looking forward to being back in the classroom working with our teachers again and having a direct hand in making the educational experience for our students really great,” Bordell said.
He is currently the chief school improvement officer at Questar III BOCES, where he leads Questar’s Office of School Improvement, a department dedicated to continuously improving programs and increasing academic achievement of students region wide. In between his time at Chatham and Questar, Bordell was the assistant director of professional review for the City School District of Albany.
“Throughout my career, it has been my goal to always make sure that the students come first.I’ve always embraced new ideas and have been fortunate enough to work with some amazing colleagues to make innovation in school successful,” Bordell said.
Bordell holds a certificate of advanced study in educational administration from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, a master’s degree in English from Northern Arizona University, and a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education from SUNY Buffalo. He is certified in NYS as a school building and school district leader.
“I am thrilled that Terry is joining our team here in Chatham,” said Andrew Kourt, Chatham’s superintendent of schools. “He is a motivational leader who knows how to bring teams of educators together with the goal of providing the very best programs and experiences for our students. His experience leading regional educators combined with his knowledge and relationships within our school community helped make Terry the best candidate for this position.”
At home, Bordell and his wife are the parents of a 16-year-old daughter, who keeps them busy supporting her at basketball practices and games, as well as her other endeavors. Their family also includes a beagle-lab mix they rescued from a shelter. Bordell says he loves to travel and is a voracious reader. His most recent reads range from The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt to Stephen King’s You Like It Darker.
The Board appointed Bordell at its September 24 meeting to replace Chatham’s former administrator of educational services, Lisa Cala Ruud, who left the District in July to accept a superintendent position in Vermont.