Don Drone has officially announced he will retire in August after 15 years as the director of education and chief executive officer of the Wellington Catholic District School Board.
Drone said he has no plans immediately for his retirement, with the exception of spending more time with his wife Connie and daughters Jennifer and Sarah.
“I don’t have a lot of plans right now,” he told the Advertiser.
However, he is not ruling out part-time or consulting work after he retires.
Announcing his retirement this early will give the board an opportunity to find his replacement.
“It gives the board time to engage in a thorough recruitment process,” he added.
The board has not made a decision to what extent Drone will be involved in the recruitment process.
Throughout his career as an educator and administrator, he has been tirelessly committed to student-focused, community-based learning.
“I have been so blessed to work collaboratively with colleagues, faculty, staff, students, parents, Catholic school councils, trustees, union leaders, politicians and community members to further solidify the impact of publicly funded Catholic education in the province of Ontario,” said Drone.
A press release from the board states Drone is an example of servant leadership that comes not from seeking acknowledgement for one’s actions, but from the good one can do by empowering and encouraging the best in all those around him.
Over the years he has been active in the community, receiving several awards and holding several coveted posts, including chair of the Council of Directors of Education for Ontario, the local United Way campaign and the Guelph Chamber of Commerce board.
He has been the recipient for the Mayor’s Award, City of Guelph; Canadian Association of School Board Administrators Excel Award; Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers’ Association’s BE Nelligan Award of Merit; Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal; and the Paul Harris Fellowship Award, Rotary Club of Guelph.
During his almost 50 year career in education, Drone worked with the District from Sept. 67 to June 68. He then worked with the Waterloo Separate School Board for seven years until his return to Wellington Catholic in Sept. 75 where he has served since.
