The Board of Education is pleased to announce it has offered the position of district Superintendent to Matt Mineau, a longtime Appleton Area School District principal and former
social studies teacher.
Mineau would start July 1, under a contract the Board will review at its June 27 meeting. He would succeed Aaron Sadoff, who will become executive director of the Fond du
Lac Area Foundation after 16 years with the district as principal and superintendent.
Mineau was the Board’s unanimous choice among a field of excellent candidates. We were impressed with Matt’s proven abilities to build relationships and create a culture of positive
engagement with students, staff and parents. He is passionate about innovation and continuous improvement, and his charter school experience will be a great asset as our district
plans for a high school expansion to our Treffert Way charter school. We are excited to welcome him.
Mineau said he was “excited to join the Oriole Nation” and “extremely honored” by the opportunity. “I’m looking forward to partnering with the North Fond du Lac community as
together, we will ensure success for all our students – academically, emotionally, mentally and physically,” he said.
Learn More about the New Superintendent:
Mineau earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he was an assistant drum major and trumpeter for the UW Marching
Band. He taught social studies at Brookfield Central High School and Green Bay Preble High School before moving into school administration in 2004 as an Associate Principal at Green Bay
East High School. In 2007 he left Green Bay to join the Appleton Area School District (AASD) where he has remained for the past 15 years.
The first four years Mineau served as Principal of Tesla Engineering Charter School and Associate Principal of Appleton East High School; the last 11 years he has been Principal of
Appleton East High School and Appleton eSchool. He earned a Master of Education in Educational Leadership in 2004 and a Doctor of Education in Leadership, Learning and Service
in 2018, both from Cardinal Stritch University.
Several Appleton administrators recommended Mineau, saying that while they did not want to lose him, he would make an outstanding superintendent in North Fond du Lac.
“His capacity to build relationships and rapport is a true gift,” AASD Superintendent Judy Baseman wrote in a letter shared with the search team. “Matt has created meaningful
opportunities for student, parent and community voices to be heard through various advisory groups or leadership teams.”
Mineau led efforts to improve student mental health, expanding the Sources of Strength program not only at Appleton East but at all three district high schools, Baseman said. He collaborated to
create an Advisory Time program to address student needs for intervention and support, as well as to help each student plan for the future.
He promoted culturally restorative practices and led a shift to standard-based grading at the high school. During the pandemic he worked with fellow secondary principals to tackle learning
challenges by adding graduation coaches, alternative scheduling options, credit recovery opportunities, and instructional coaches and interventionists.
“Innovation fuels Matt,” said Polly Vanden Boogaard, AASD Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, who added Mineau routinely collaborates with others on “how we do better,
how we get creative and how we ‘think outside the box.’”
He also was touted for his ability to coach staff, many of whom have advanced to become school or district administrators. Mike Slowinski, whom Mineau once hired at Appleton East and will
become Kaukauna Area Schools Superintendent in July said, “I am a better leader and educator because of the time I spent working with Matt.”
Matt Zimmerman, whom Mineau mentored as an elementary principal (he’s now AASD’s Assistant Superintendent for School Services), said Mineau was “student-centered, innovative,
charismatic, and left me with the feeling that anything in education was possible.”
In his application for the NFDL superintendency, Mineau said he believes three things are most important to student success: “outrageous love, engaged learning and sense of belonging… My
goal is to help each individual think, dream and reach his or her full potential.”
Please congratulate Matt Mineau on his selection and warmly welcome him this summer as he begins to meet with district staff, families and organizations.
