Shari Camhi

Dr. Shari L. Camhi is the Superintendent of Schools for the Baldwin Union Free School District, where she has successfully encouraged innovation and creativity in K-12 education. With more than three decades of experience in the field of education, Dr. Camhi has not charted the conventional career path, having worked in private industry as a manager of training and development in the field of technology, a visiting “expert” in educational technology overseas, as well as adjunct professor, technology director, assistant superintendent, and currently, superintendent of schools.

When it comes to teaching, Dr. Camhi has an innovative and forward-thinking approach, as evidenced by the numerous future-driven programs put into place within the Baldwin School District. This includes the creation of seven profession-based academies, where rigorous courses intersect with opportunities to work with industry partners through internships and shadow days, while knowledge gets tested through local, regional, and national competitions. Additionally, she has worked with teachers and administrators to transform classrooms into learning spaces that encourage entrepreneurial thinking and collaboration, mirroring those seen in industry, and has also developed inquiry-based learning opportunities in all schools, K-12.

In addition to her role as superintendent, Dr. Camhi was elected the 2022-23 president of the National School Superintendents Association (AASA). She has served as a member of the Executive Committee and Governing Board of AASA, the American Association of Community College’s Commission for College Readiness, WNET Business Advisory Council, CoSN K-12 Innovation Advisory Council, and the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center Board of Directors. She was appointed chair/vice-chair of the Educational Telecommunications Service Committee for WLIW, co-chair for the Superintendent/College Presidents Partnership for the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education (LIRACHE) and has been an active participant in the Long Island Consortium for Excellence and Equity (LICEE).

Dr. Camhi was one of only twenty school superintendents selected for the Successful Practices Network (SPN) Innovation and Transformational Leadership Network. In addition, she was named Education Week’s “Leader to Learn From,” National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)’s “New Superintendent to Watch,” Education Dive’s “Administrators to Watch” and was the recipient of the ISTE Sylvia Charp Award for district innovation in technology. Educational leaders and dignitaries from across the country have visited Dr. Camhi’s district to see the success story firsthand. Her district has also been designated a Lighthouse District by AASA and was the only K-12 district to be honored by the New York State Business Council with the inaugural Workforce Innovation Award, among other accolades.