Superintendent Dr. Carmine Peluso Announces Leadership Appointments
(March 24, 2023) Superintendent Dr. Carmine Peluso is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Lia Festenstein as the Executive Director of the Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES), effective March 24, 2023, and Dr. Joseph Sergio as the Senior Director of Employee Benefits and Wellness, effective April 10, 2023.
Dr. Festenstein has served as the Acting Program Administrator of OACES since October and was previously its Assistant Principal since July 2021. During this time, she worked closely with staff, students, and the community. A longtime educator, Dr. Festenstein began her career as a paraprofessional in the RCSD 25 years ago. After her roles as an English as a New Language classroom teacher and English Language Learner coach, she moved into teacher leadership before transitioning to school and District leadership positions. She served as a Teacher Incentive Fund Coordinator, School Improvement Consultant, Director of Special Programs, and Assistant Principal of Special Education. Through her various roles, Dr. Festenstein led instructional initiatives, formed partnerships with students, staff, and community members, and led staff professional development. In this new role, she will continue to collaborate with OACES staff to further their mission as a training center for adult and career education services in our community.
Dr. Festenstein earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Hope College, a Master’s Degree in Education with Certification in English as a Second Language from the University of Rochester, a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from SUNY Brockport, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Rochester.
Dr. Sergio returns to the RCSD in the Office of Human Capital after serving the City of Rochester as their Deputy Director of Human Resources. Prior, he was a Director of Staff Relations in the Office of Human Capital, where he served a network of schools, providing customer service and support to principals and other leaders across the District. Having served in that role for nearly five years, he understands our District operations, labor contracts, and benefits program. As the Senior Director of Employee Benefits and Wellness, he will work in partnership with our healthcare plans, unions, and Joint Healthcare Committee to serve our employees, their dependents, and our retirees. A focus of his work will be to help expand our employee wellness programming. Prior to working in the RCSD, Dr. Sergio was a Human Resources Manager for Monroe Community Hospital, a Human Resources Manager for Volunteers of America, and a Senior Human Resources Manager for Rural Metro. In addition, Dr. Sergio is an Adjunct Instructor in the School of Adult and Graduate Education at Medaille College, and he works part-time, serving our community as an EMT for American Medical Response (AMR).
Dr. Sergio earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from SUNY Geneseo, a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Devry University, and a Doctor of Education Degree in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University. He is also a certified Six-Sigma Blackbelt Professional for process improvement, quality management, and data analysis.