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Livonia board announces Superintendent Andrea Okwist will retire; internal search set with public input
Summary
Board President Colleen Burton announced Superintendent Andrea Okwist will retire effective Dec. 31, 2026, and the board hired the Michigan Leadership Institute to lead an internal search. The board set dates for surveys, stakeholder meetings and interviews with a planned hire by July 30 and transition through year-end.
Board President Colleen Burton announced on Tuesday that Superintendent Andrea Okwist has informed the board she will retire effective Dec. 31, 2026, and outlined a timeline the board said will prioritize community input and an orderly transition.
"As you know, superintendent Andrea Okwist has announced her retirement effective 12/31/2026," Burton said, and described steps the board has taken to prepare for the change. The board has hired the Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) to assist with the superintendent search, Burton said.
Under the timeline the board described, stakeholder surveys will be open from May 26 through June 5, and MLI will hold in-person stakeholder meetings on June 2. The board plans to post the position internally from June 24 through July 8; first-round interviews are scheduled for July 20, finalists will be selected July 22, second-round interviews are set for July 27, and the board plans to select the incoming superintendent on July 30. The incoming leader would shadow Okwist Nov. 1–Dec. 31 and take office Jan. 1, 2027, if an internal candidate is selected.
Burton said the board is beginning with an internal search because the district believes it has a strong bench of leaders who understand the district’s culture. "We believe that we have a strong team of leaders in Livonia Public Schools who understand our culture and many facets of our large district," Burton said. If the board does not select an internal candidate, officials said it will expand the search externally.
The announcement included an invitation to staff, parents, students and community members to fill out the survey and to attend MLI-led listening sessions. Board members emphasized they will receive summaries of the feedback gathered by MLI and that members will be intentionally absent from some stakeholder meetings so participants can speak freely.
No formal action was required to accept Okwist’s announced retirement; the board said the formal hiring decision will occur in public sessions in July. The board will publish details about how to access the survey and sign up for stakeholder sessions on the district website.
