The Wissahickon Board of School Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Mwenyewe Dawan as Superintendent of Schools, effective 7/1/25, following the upcoming retirement of Dr. James Crisfield. Dr. Dawan, who has served as Assistant Superintendent in the Wissahickon School District since 2021, has 22 years of experience in K-12 education with specialization in curriculum and instruction design, classroom teaching, building and district leadership, and fiscal management.
 

“It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we elect Dr. Dawan as our next superintendent. We are fortunate to have a proven educator and leader like Dr. Dawan already with us, who is familiar with Wiss Nation and what we value as a district. She will provide a continuity of leadership that is a key characteristic of successful organizations,” said School Board President Amy Ginsburg. “Dr. Dawan knows our team and knows our district, and we are thrilled she will hit the ground running as we work together to keep Wissahickon among the top ranked school districts in the state.”

Prior to becoming our Assistant Superintendent in early 2021, Dr. Dawan combined nine years of teaching experience in Perkiomen Valley with a multitude of leadership roles at both the school and district levels in Phoenixville, culminating in five years as a building principal in that district. Since joining the team at Wissahickon, she has overseen the departments of Teaching and Learning, Information Technology, Student Services, and Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.

“Over the past four years, Dr. Dawan’s leadership was instrumental in navigating the district through a challenging period and ensuring that our focus remained on student achievement, equity, and district stability. Her 'student first’ approach supports our mission to ensure ALL students achieve academic success and have equal access to opportunities. During her almost daily visits to our schools, she has served as a highly skilled mentor to building principals and a supportive coach to teachers,” Ginsburg said. “She also has consistently joined Dr. Crisfield on all matters related to being a superintendent, both learning from him AND providing invaluable insights to him, that have advanced our efforts of providing a high-quality education while maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

Dr. Dawan has been a pivotal contributor to the following district accomplishments:

• Updating the School District Strategic Plan
• Updating the English Language Arts curriculum for the secondary schools to allow a greater variety of titles as well as more flexibility on reading assignments
• Carving out ESSER funds to establish kindergarten assistants for the two years post COVID
• Successfully hiring two elementary school principals
• Establishing vice principal roles at all elementary schools and successfully placing leaders in those roles
• Re-establishing a second recess at the elementary schools
• Piloting an after-school program at the elementary schools for math and reading assistance
• Prioritizing funding to increase mental health resources at the secondary schools
• Collaborating with the Montgomery Department of Health to train staff on Mental Health First Responsiveness
• Establishing Positive Behavior and Intervention Support Systems to establish a positive school culture across the district
• Re-establishing our status with No Place for Hate

Dr. Dawan’s employment contract will have a five-year term and will include terms and conditions of employment that are consistent with those provided to other district leaders. Her contract will also contain performance ratings related to achievement of annual district goals set by the board that will be evaluated annually in accordance with her employment contract and Pennsylvania’s Public School Code.

“It is a profound honor and privilege to be selected to lead our district, and I am deeply committed to building on the legacy of excellence while addressing our community’s evolving needs,” Dr. Dawan said. “As I look forward to this next chapter, I’m excited to continue to work collaboratively with our teachers, staff, families, and community members to strengthen our district and continue developing well-rounded, resilient students.”

In the coming months, there will be a variety of opportunities for students, staff, and community members to get to know Dr. Dawan and to allow her to hear directly from members of the school community about the educational issues and concerns that are most important to them. Information about these upcoming opportunities will be shared soon and communicated widely to Wissahickon School District families and the broader community via district email, social media, and website.