Hiren Desai to join Fayette County Public Schools

Caulk Building FCPS Team

Nice catch.

This from FCPS (via press release):

A top Kentucky Department of Education official with 18 years of experience in state government will be joining the Fayette County Public Schools leadership team, Superintendent Manny Caulk announced today.

Hiren Desai

Hiren Desai, the state education department’s Associate Commissioner for the Office of Administration and Support since 2009, has been selected as the Fayette County Public Schools Senior Director of Administrative Services.

“Hiren is a rock star,” Caulk said. “The experiences and talent he brings to our district are a direct match for our targeted areas of improvement.”

At the Kentucky Department of Education, Desai provided oversight, direction and support for the financial and physical resources of KDE and school districts. In his new role, he will oversee the departments of financial services, budget and staffing, human resources and Munis technology for FCPS and report directly to the superintendent.

“These are areas in which we need real leadership in order to restore public confidence in the district,” Caulk said. “I’m thrilled Hiren has agreed to be a part of transforming our school district into a world class system of great schools.”

For the past six years, Desai has had oversight over the human resources functions for approximately 1,100 employees and an annual statewide K-12 budget of nearly $5 billion. He has helped lead the state department through a number of challenges, including navigating through 13 statewide budget cuts while rolling out massive changes to instruction and accountability.

“We had to take a measured approach to budget reductions, while simultaneously reallocating funding for new initiatives,” Desai said. “We accomplished that in a fiscally responsible manner that had minimal impact to students, teachers, and principals, by doing more with less, and building strategic plans around key priorities, such as increasing graduation rates and improving college and career readiness.”

In addition to his work at KDE, Desai has also held legal and management positions in the state Finance and Administration Cabinet, the Governor’s Office for Technology, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Notable among Desai’s many accomplishments is his work on the Governor’s 2008 Taskforce on Government e-Transparency, which led to the creation of “Open Door,” a website where members of the public can track government spending. He is also the 2014 recipient of the Bill Stilwell Award for his advocacy in obtaining additional state funding to expand educational technology for students in the Commonwealth.

Originally born in Zimbabwe, Desai is a naturalized American of Asian descent who moved to Lexington in 1990, at the age of 16, to attend the University of Kentucky. He majored in finance and management and holds both a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and a juris doctor degree from UK. Desai is fluent in English and Gujarati and conversant in Hindi and Ndebele.

“If we are going to prepare students for a global society, we have to broaden the way we think about diversity,” Caulk said. “Hiren is a global citizen. His grandparents are from Asia, his wife is from England and he and his parents are from Africa. All of those experiences and perspectives will enrich our team and accelerate our work for students.”

Desai said he was attracted to Caulk’s vision of establishing the Fayette County Public Schools not just as the top school district in Kentucky, but as a globally competitive school district that leads the nation.

“This goal is readily achievable with the significant talent and resources we have,” Desai said. “Fayette County is my home and I want our community to be the best it possibly can.”

Customer service, professionalism, responsiveness, fairness and consistency are among the expectations Desai outlined for himself and his team.

“I’m excited to join FCPS and help the entire team and community partners in moving the district forward,” Desai said. “I want every student in Fayette County to be able to compete at a global level.  We want to equip them to work and compete anywhere.”

Desai will officially assume his duties on January 4, 2016. His annual salary, based on education and years of experience, will be roughly $140,000.