The Lower Merion Board of School Directors is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Steven Yanni as Lower Merion’s next Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Yanni is a visionary educational and thought leader who is committed to empowering students, staff and communities. The Board will vote on Dr. Yanni’s appointment at the Regular Business Board Meeting on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. Dr. Yanni’s anticipated start date in LMSD is August 14, 2023.

Dr. Yanni comes to Lower Merion from the Upper Dublin School District, where he has served as Superintendent of Schools since July 2018. Prior to joining Upper Dublin, Dr. Yanni served as Assistant Superintendent and then Superintendent in New Hope-Solebury. He also served as a Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessments and as an elementary school principal in the East Pennsboro Area School District and as a Response to Instruction and Intervention Coordinator and teacher in the Twin Valley School District. He began his career as a teacher in Gaston County, N.C.

Dr. Yanni earned his Doctorate in Education from Immaculata University, where he earned the Distinguished Dissertation Award. He also holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Immaculata and Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown. In addition, he holds a National Superintendent Certification in Educational Leadership from the American Association of School Administrators. In 2022 he was the recipient of the Patricia J. Creegan Award from the Pennsylvania Education for All Coalition (PEAC) for his commitment to inclusive education. Dr. Yanni and his family live in Bucks County and enjoy world travel.

“It is an honor to be selected to serve as the next Superintendent of the Lower Merion School District,” Dr. Yanni said of his new position. “I am eager to work with and on behalf of our students, staff, Board, families and community as we reach new and higher levels of educational excellence in Lower Merion. I look forward to building relationships based on trust, respect and collaboration, as we create a bright future together.

The Lower Merion Board of School Directors interviewed numerous highly qualified candidates before selecting Dr. Yanni. The Board is grateful to the community members who shared their thoughts on what the priorities and qualifications of our next superintendent should be.

School Board President Lucy Klain said, “The Board is extremely excited that Dr. Yanni will bring his experience as a dynamic, caring, and thoughtful educational leader to the Lower Merion School District. His deep commitment to ensuring excellence in education for every student every day alongside his dedication to building community connections reflects what is most important to this community.”

Klain also expressed the Board’s deep appreciation to Megan Shafer. “Ms. Shafer has served as our Acting Superintendent since January. Not only did she seamlessly step into this additional leadership role, she was able to move forward important initiatives set in motion by her predecessors. She did so with an unmatched level of compassion and empathy for our students, families and staff members. She exemplified her personal motto of “Listen, Learn, Lead” and our entire community owes her a huge debt of gratitude. We are so fortunate that Ms. Shafer will continue to serve our District as Assistant to the Superintendent for District Administration and I personally hope she finds some time relax this summer after spending nearly six months covering two very demanding roles.”

In the coming months, Dr. Yanni will be hosting a variety of welcome events so that students, staff and community members may get to know him, and so that he can hear directly from you, the members of the school community, about the educational issues and concerns that are most important to you. Information about these upcoming “meet-and-greet” opportunities will be shared soon and communicated widely to Lower Merion School District families and the broader community via District email and on the District website, www.LMSD.org.