Former superintendent Steve Dionisio honored with Charles Lee Swift Lifetime Achievement Award

Steve Dionisio, who served Charlotte County Public Schools in a variety of instructional and administrative roles for 33 years and as superintendent from 2015 until his 2023 retirement, received the 2025 Charles Lee Swift Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oct. 14 board meeting.

The award, created in 2018 after Lee Swift's retirement, recognizes individuals who dedicate their lives to serving Charlotte County students, staff and the community. The board chair presented the award and noted Dionisio's long service and local ties: Dionisio became a Charlotte County resident in 1979, graduated from Port Charlotte High School and holds degrees from Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University.

In remarks accepting the honor, Dionisio described the award as belonging to the community and reflected on his decades in local schools. "For me, it's not my award, it's this community's award," he said. Dionisio thanked his family, former colleagues and community partners who worked alongside him and described his career as "always about kids." He also noted the role of family and staff in supporting his work.

The board recognized Dionisio's career highlights in the record, including prior service as an exceptional student education teacher at Murdoch Middle School, principal of Port Charlotte High School and member of community boards such as the United Way of Charlotte County. The district noted multiple awards Dionisio has received and said a facility naming in his honor is one of only three such recognitions in district history.

Why it matters

Dionisio led the district as superintendent for roughly eight years before retiring in 2023. Board recognition highlights institutional memory and local leadership continuity and gives public acknowledgment to long‑serving staff whose work affects generations of students.