By Oxford School District

As Oxford School District Assistant Superintendent Bill Hamilton’s retirement approaches, school district officials are shifting academic and nonacademic responsibilities that his position oversees.

The Oxford School District Board of Trustees recently approved shifting OSD Assistant Superintendent academic duties to Jeff Clay, who is the district’s director of secondary curriculum and instruction. Nonacademic duties under the OSD Assistant Superintendent title will shift to Colonel Douglas Cromwell who is the OSD Director of Personnel, Operations and Planning. Hamilton’s retirement is effective June 30, 2016, and Clay and Cromwell will begin their new school district tasks beginning July 1, 2016.

With the shift of professional duties, Clay will add assistant superintendent to his job title and oversee the following additional academic responsibilities: act as district test coordinator; oversee teacher recruitment; act as the district disciplinary hearing officer; and, oversee the Oxford School District Dropout Prevention Plan.

Clay has worked in the educational field since 1996 and has been employed with the Oxford School District since 2007. Past professional experience in the educational field includes assistant principal positions at Bramlett Elementary School, Oxford Elementary School and Oxford Middle School and principal at Oxford Middle School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Millsaps College and a master’s degree from Austin Peay State University. Clay also has his Specialist in Education degree from Mississippi College.

Cromwell, who is presently the Marine Corps Junior ROTC instructor at Oxford High School, will have oversight of nonacademic duties in his position as OSD Director of Personnel, Operations and Planning. He will primarily serve as the director of human resources for the school district with oversight of the following program areas: child nutrition, school services, school safety and the district business office.

Cromwell has worked for the Oxford School District since 2013. His professional experience includes high-ranking military positions — chief of staff and senior operations manager — at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps military training base in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

He also was an instructor and inspector for the Marine Corps, where he oversaw operational readiness for 800 to 1,000 military personnel. Cromwell’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.