District Leadership
Fort Wayne Community Schools - Superintendent
Mark D. Daniel, Ph.D.
Dr. Mark Daniel joined Fort Wayne Community Schools as the 15th Superintendent of FWCS on July 1, 2020.
Dr. Daniel is a 1979 graduate of North Side High School, making him the second FWCS alumni to become FWCS superintendent in the District’s history. His first teaching job was at North Side High School, where he taught advanced algebra, geometry, business law, accounting and skills for living. He also coached football, basketball, baseball, track and golf.
He left North Side to become assistant principal at Leo Junior/Senior High School in 1995 and took over as Leo principal in 1998, a position he held for 12 years. In 2010, he became superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools in Dowagiac, Michigan, a K-12 school district with about 2,400 students. In 2014, he was hired as superintendent of McLean County Unit District No. 5 in Normal, Illinois, a K-12 school district with 13,300 students.
Schools Attended:
- University of Toledo, Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Marketing Management, 1983
- Bowling Green State University, Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Business, 1985
- Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Master’s Degree in Secondary Education Administration, 1993
- Indiana State University, Doctorate in Education Administration, 2006
Contact:
Phone: 260.467.2025
Fax: 260.467.1975
Email: Ask the Superintendent
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Superintendent Contract
Fort Wayne Community Schools - Deputy Superintendent
Debra Faye Williams-Robbins, Esq., EdD
A graduate of Northrop High School, Dr. Williams-Robbins received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in elementary education from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., her Master of Arts Degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) and her Doctorate of Education from Ball State University.
After teaching at Arlington Elementary School from 1979 to 1990, Dr. Williams-Robbins received her Administrative Certificate from IPFW. She then served as a Title I Resource teacher for a year before being appointed to her first administrative position as dean/counselor at Miami Middle School from 1991-1993.
Following her tenure at Miami, Dr. Williams-Robbins served as principal at Arlington Elementary years from 1993-2001. It was from this position that she was appointed Area Administrator for the North Side-South Side Area. This position later became the High School Area Administration position and then became the Assistant Superintendent-Secondary. As the first Chief of Student, Family and Community Engagement, Dr. Williams-Robbins leads the Family and Community Engagement Center, which is designed to support new and current families and connect families with resources in the community.
Dr. Williams-Robbins completed her doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision at Ball State University in 2021. She began to notice a trend in education that indicated there was a need for administrators with enhanced legal knowledge. Pursuant to this recognition, Dr. Williams-Robbins began to study law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. She received the Juris Doctor degree in May 2000 and after passing the Indiana Bar examination on her first attempt, was admitted to the Indiana Bar in May 2001.
Information:
Direct Reports
- Family & Community Engagement
- Secondary Education
Honors and Awards
Delta Sigma Theta † Educational Development Award
Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
Dean’s List † Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Academic Achievement Award
Community Activities
- American Heart Association
- African-American Alumni
- Heartland Chamber Chorale
- YMCA Childcare Division
- National Alliance of Black School Educators
- Fort Wayne Alliance of Black School Educators
- International Village of the Three Rivers’ Festival
- Ft Wayne Administrators and Professionals Assoc.
- Girl Scouts of Limberlost
- Textbook Adoption Committee
Fort Wayne Community Schools - Chief Financial Officer
Kathy Friend, CPA (Inactive)
Kathy was born and raised in Fort Wayne and graduated from Northrop High School.
She attended Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) for all but one semester before graduating from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 1982 with a BS in accounting. She is a certified public accountant.
She started her career at a CPA firm in Indianapolis and then became a senior planner at Paul Harris Stores corporate offices. In 1988 she returned to Fort Wayne and became the Director of Internal Audit at the City of Fort Wayne and later held the position of Deputy Controller and then City Controller.
Kathy moved to Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) in January 2000 as Chief Financial Officer.
She serves as the FWCS liaison with the area delegation of the Indiana General Assembly. She has been involved in several boards and finance/investment committees in the community and volunteers each year for Junior Achievement at Forest Park Elementary School.
Information:
- Business
- Budget Information
- Facilities
- Fiscal Affairs
- Internal Audit
- Nutrition Services
- Purchasing
- Treasurer
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Contact:
Phone: 260.467.2000
Fax: 260.467.1981
Email: Comments/Questions for Kathy Friend
Fort Wayne Community Schools - Chief Systems Officer
Jack Byrd
Jack is a 1980 graduate of Wayne High School. He started his technical career as a Programmer at Peoples Trust Bank in 1981 and graduated from Purdue University at Fort Wayne in 1983 with a degree in Applied Science. Jack also successfully completed the Strategic Data Project program in 2016 at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.
He joined FWCS in 1984 as a Senior Programmer. Jack advanced in the Technology Department as Senior Programmer/Analyst, Supervisor of Business Information Systems, and Manager of Information Systems. After successfully overseeing the Y2K conversions including the rewrite of the Payroll/HR system, he was promoted to Director of Technology in 2000. As Director, the Technology Department continued to expand and, in 2016, assumed responsibility for instructional technology. With technology now being an integral part of the District’s mission, he was assigned as the Chief Technology Officer in 2021.
Information:
Direct Reports:
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Contact:
Phone: 260.467.2160
Fax: 260.467.1980
Email: Comments/Questions for Jack Byrd
Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Dr. Joe Brown
Dr. Joe Brown joined FWCS as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in 2022. He previously served as superintendent of Elwood Community School Corporation, a position he held from 2019-22. He began his career in education in 2005 as a third-grade teacher in Delphi Community School Corporation and taught for one year in Indianapolis Public Schools. He took his first principal position in Delphi in 2009 and worked in administration in Delphi, Noblesville, Franklin Township and Elwood schools over the next decade. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Marian University since 2011.
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from IUPUI; Master of Science Degree in Education from Purdue University; and a PhD in Education from Indiana State University.
As Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, he oversees all aspects of curriculum and testing for the District, pre-K through 12th grade.
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Contact:
Phone: 260.467.2845
Fax: 260.467.1978
Email: Comments/Questions for Dr. Joe Brown
Assistant Superintendent, Diverse Learners
Dr. Nikki Sprunger
Nikki Sprunger joined FWCS in 2017 as Director of Special Education with 36 years of education experience. She came to FWCS from the Adams Wells Special Services Cooperative in Bluffton where she served as Special Education Director. Her education career started as a sixth-grade teacher in 1981 at St. Mary Catholic School in Rushville. In 1986, she took her first position in special education as the itinerant learning disabilities teacher at the East Central Special Services District in Connersville. She then moved to the North Central Indiana Special Education Cooperative in Warsaw and then Fairfield Community Schools, where she stayed until 2012 when she took the position with Adams Wells. Her new title of Assistant Superintendent of Special Education recognizes the importance of meeting the need of students with special needs.
Information:
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Contact:
Phone: 260-467-1110
Email: Comments/Questions for Nikki Sprunger
Assistant Superintendent, Professional Learning
Ramona Coleman
Ramona Coleman started her education career at Taylor Independent School District in Taylor, Texas, in 1983 as a special education teacher. She joined FWCS in 1987 and taught at Croninger Elementary School, transitioned to Lane Middle School until she became a district coach in 2009. She then moved into her current role overseeing the Professional Learning Department.
Her new title of Assistant Superintendent of Professional Learning recognizes the importance of the ongoing professional learning needs of new and veteran staff members.
Contact
Address:
Fort Wayne Community Schools
1200 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Email: