Western Wayne Schools’ new leader met her new community in a very unusual way.
Melissa McIntire was introduced to the hundreds of Wayne County residents attending the Sunday, Aug. 16, town hall meeting at Lincoln Middle/High School to discuss the community’s flood response.
She thanked everyone for their patience with school being canceled for its first three days, and said classes would be begin the following day. Buses went out Sunday to check route safety after flooding damaged the county’s roads.
“Our students in our district are our main priority,” McIntire said. “Our teachers, our staff, our principals, all of us are very excited to see them tomorrow, to be able to get them out breakfast and lunches.”
McIntire has been serving as interim superintendent since Aug. 3, Robin Hokey, WWS’ director of human resources, confirmed Monday, Aug. 17.
“She’s definitely jumped in with both feet and has been a lot of help,” Hokey said.
WWS’ board is to formally approve McIntire’s hiring at the rescheduled 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, board meeting at LMHS. A public hearing also is planned, offering residents the opportunity to comment on the new superintendent’s proposed contract. Details of that contract, including a $118,000 base salary plus benefits, were reported in WWN’s Aug. 12 edition.
According to her LinkedIn page, McIntire has worked in education for about 25 years. Her previous role was assistant superintendent at Clinton Central in Michigantown, Indiana.
Earlier in her career, she served as principal for Meadowlawn and North White elementary schools. She noted achievements including establishing literacy coaching, STEM labs and elevating student performance during intervention time with a data-driven approach.
She earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies in May 2025 from Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor of science in elementary education and teaching in 2000. She also earned a master’s in educational leadership and administration from Kennesaw State University in 2006.
A version of this article will appear in the August 19 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
