Doug Schwinn will become Kearney School District’s new Director of Business Services. His hiring was approved by the KSD Board of Education during a special meeting on Feb. 4.

Dr. Valerie Utecht is slated to step in as KSD’s new Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services. The school board signed off on her hiring during its Feb. 19 executive board meeting.

Mr. Schwinn and Dr. Utecht will officially begin their contracts on July 1. Both will also be participating in a wide range of training and onboarding this spring so that they can hit the ground running by the time classes start again in August.

Schwinn will be replacing current Director of Business Services Ginger Elsea, who has been with KSD since 2012 and is retiring. Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Jennifer Kopp has been with KSD for 23 years and is also retiring.

“I’m looking forward to having Doug Schwinn and Dr. Valerie Utecht on our leadership team at Kearney School District,” Superintendent Emily Miller said. “They both have big shoes to fill and I’m confident that they have the expertise and mindset to help us achieve our strategic goals. I also know that the Bulldog community will welcome them with open arms and help support their success.”

Schwinn will take charge of KSD’s Department of Business Services, which includes oversight of Payroll Services, Accounts Payable and Bookkeeping. His big-picture focus will be on building financial and operational strategies and metrics, ongoing development and monitoring of control systems designed to preserve district assets, and reporting accurate financial results. In this critical role, Schwinn will work closely with Dr. Miller and school and district administrators to plan and manage KSD’s roughly $60 million annual budget.

“I am very excited about what the future holds for KSD and look forward to making Kearney my new home,” Schwinn said. “I was so impressed by both the level of achievement in this school system and the culture of teamwork. I know from experience that these are the signs of a great district.”

As skipper of the school system’s pivotal Academic Services Department, Utecht will be responsible for charting and navigating teaching and learning across the district. This job demands collaboration and strategic planning in order to help ensure that schools are meeting the needs of students, staff receive the right training and tools, and the system is achieving the community’s desired outcomes.

“I am honored to begin serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services for the upcoming school year,” Utecht said. “It is truly a privilege to join this outstanding district, and I look forward to collaborating with our dedicated educators, students, families, and community members to support continued academic excellence and student success.”

Doug Schwinn Biography

Schwinn comes to KSD after serving for 22 years as the Director of Business at Unified School District 230 in Spring Hill, Kan., about a half-hour southwest of Overland Park. That position involves oversight of all business/financial activities for a school district with a $120 million annual budget.

During his term at USD 230, the district’s student population and staff tripled. Schwinn was a major contributor to four successful bond issue campaigns that resulted in a new high school, two new middle schools, four new elementary schools, and various other renovations and additional buildings. He also implemented new technology, procedures and guidelines to improve efficiency across the school system.

Before joining USD 230, Schwinn spent several years as the Business Manager for USD 341 in Oskaloosa, Kan. He started his career in 1995 as the City Clerk for the City of Oskaloosa. Schwinn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Kansas State University.

Dr. Valerie Utecht Biography

Dr. Utecht has been the Assistant Superintendent at Cameron R-1 School District since July 2023. In that position, she oversees curriculum and professional development, evaluation and assessment, federal programs, safety and security, district compliance and Title IX coordination.

Among many other accomplishments, Utecht developed an evidenced-based approach to aligning daily practices with the district’s improvement goals. She created a website for stakeholders to view district curriculum, courses and Real World Learning opportunities. Utecht also facilitated the process of Cameron R-1 joining the innovative Success Ready Student Network, which supports competency-based, personalized learning for school and career achievement.

After a brief stint as an instructional coach, Utecht was the principal for 13 years at Manor Hill Elementary in Liberty Public Schools. Before that, she taught special education and third-grade, fourth-grade and fifth-grade classes starting in 2001 at Ridgeview Elementary and Warren Hills Elementary in LPS. 

Utecht holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Baker University.

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