Indian Hill board hires Dr. Melissa Stewart as next superintendent

The Indian Hill Exempted Village Board of Education voted unanimously on March 17 to approve Dr. Melissa Stewart as the district’s next superintendent on a three‑year contract beginning in August. The board said the selection followed a multi‑part community process including student and staff meetings, community sessions and a public survey.

Board members described a deliberate hiring process that emphasized community input and traits they sought in a superintendent. The board chair said the profile that emerged prioritized a leader who emphasizes relationships with students, teachers and families and who acts as a servant leader to support staff and instruction.

Dr. Melissa Stewart, who has worked in the district since 2007 in elementary and central‑office roles, thanked the board, staff and families and pledged to center decisions on students and staff. “I am so deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the next superintendent of Indian Hill Schools,” Stewart said. She added that her approach is to support teachers and staff so they can “do what they do best, which is educate the students.”

The board moved to formally approve Stewart’s contract at the meeting and recorded yes votes from board members present. The motion carried without opposition. The district said Stewart will remain in her current interim capacity through the end of the school year and begin the new contract in August.

The board also said it will continue a planned transition process and share additional timeline details with staff and families. Next procedural steps include finalizing the contract paperwork and coordinating an administrative transition in the spring and summer.