MORGANTOWN — With a career in education that has taken him from Alaska to China, Eddie Campbell Jr. is used to packing his suitcase over the years.
This summer, he’ll pack again for Morgantown, where he’ll serve as superintendent of Monongalia County Schools.
The county Board of Education (BOE) announced his hiring during its regular meeting May 22. Campbell signed a 2-year contract and will be paid $150,000 a year.
Campbell currently serves as the school superintendent of Tucker County, the third-smallest district in the state — but he brings a big resume to the job.
He began his career in education as a teacher and coach in Virginia. From there, he served as director of Livingston American School, in Shanghai, China.
The Wheeling native returned to the Mountain State in 2011 after a year as principal of Davis-Ramoth Memorial, School in Kotzebue, Alaska, a small village in the Arctic Circle.
Campbell holds a history degree from WVU and earned graduate and doctoral degrees in education from George Mason University and the University of Virginia.
“We felt very comfortable with him,” BOE president Barbara Parsons said, “and we were very impressed by his background.”
Campbell was the focus of a public meet-and-greet session Monday night at University High School. He also took part in a lengthy private interview with BOE members earlier Tuesday.
Parsons said the new hire was among eight candidates for the job considered by Orion-Delta, a Pittsburgh recruiting firm, and a citizens committee of 20 Morgantown area residents who helped screen applicants.
Most of those applicants came from the surrounding region, she added.
Meanwhile, Campbell’s first day on the job will be July 1. He’ll replace current superintendent Frank Devono, who announced his retirement earlier.
“I’m a little melancholy to be leaving,” Devono said, “but we have a great superintendent coming in and I’m excited for that.”
The BOE is also going through a transition of its own in coming days.
Parsons and Clarence Harvey Jr., also a longtime board member, both chose not to seek re-election during this month’s primary.
