A familiar face is Austin Area School District’s new superintendent.

Kimberly Rees, a 1987 Austin graduate who served many years as the district’s principal/school counselor, has been hired as the top administrator. She succeeds Jerry Sasala, who served in the alternating roles of superintendent and principal over the years.

“I am very excited to return to the school in the role of superintendent,” she said. “Austin is a great place to work. We have a wonderful, caring and dedicated staff that work hard to make learning fun and relevant for our students.”

At the Austin district, Rees said she already knows what she will focus on: the creation of custom education for each student, placing a major emphasis on career and work standards.

For 21 years she served as the district’s principal/school counselor. In those roles, she worked on professional development, scheduling, teacher observations, student discipline, grant writing, curriculum and instruction, assessment coordinator and federal programs.

“For the last 2½ years I have had the pleasure of being the executive director at the Potter County Education Council,” Rees said. “This position has allowed me to interact with business/industry/higher education institutions that will bring a new perspective to the school.”

Rees received a principal certification and superintendent’s letter from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Gannon University, a master’s degree in counselor education/school counseling and guidance services from Penn State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Rees has two children who attend school in Austin.