Charles S. Dedrick
District Superintendent, Capital Region BOCES
Charles S. Dedrick is the district
superintendent of Capital Region BOCES, the Board of Cooperative
Educational Services for Albany, Schenectady, Schoharie and southern
Saratoga counties. As district
superintendent, he is the chief executive officer of the educational
cooperative, which employs 1,200 and serves 23 component school
districts with approximately 85,000 K-12 students. In his duties,
Mr. Dedrick is responsible for the overall administration, operation
and financial planning of the organization.
Prior to being selected for that post in 2008, he served as
Superintendent of the Cohoes City School District for nine years and
as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Saint Rose in the
School of Education for two years. Having climbed the education
career ladder, Mr. Dedrick previously served as superintendent of
schools and business manager of the Green Island Union Free Schools
after starting his career as a social studies teacher.
Mr. Dedrick has a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership
from Russell Sage Graduate School; master’s degrees in Educational
Administration and Policy Studies and in Developmental Reading from
the State University at Albany; a bachelor’s degree in Political
Science from Excelsior College; and completed The Superintendents’
Academy and Post-Graduate Superintendents’ Academy through the New
York State Council of School Superintendents.
He is a member of the New York State District Superintendents'
Testing, Reporting and Information Technology Committee, as well as
a faculty member of the New York State Council of School
Superintendents' Academy and was the recipient of the New York State
Council of School Superintendents’ 2008 "Appreciation Award" for
service to the Council. He is also the recipient of the 2004
Character Education Award as the Outstanding School District
Administrator in the Capital Region.
Along with his wife, Martha, Mr. Dedrick has four children in high
school and college.
James N. Baldwin
District Superintendent, Questar III
Over a distinguished career in public service spanning 35 years, Dr. James N. Baldwin has established a record of advocacy, innovation and accountability at the state, regional and local levels.
As district superintendent, Baldwin has been a strong advocate for students and an agent for school reform to better engage all students in a love for learning. He and the leadership team of Questar III have transformed the agency into a responsive and transparent organization. Questar III provides educational programs and services to students, their teachers and schools in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene Counties as well as services to hundreds of school districts throughout the New York State.
He is a founder of Tech Valley High School, an innovative and nationally recognized joint venture of Questar III BOCES and Capital Region BOCES. The school is a model and catalyst for educational reform throughout the Tech Valley Region and beyond. Baldwin continues to lead efforts to highlight the importance of career technical education (CTE), science technology, engineering and math (STEM) and project based learning (PBL) as pathways to graduation, higher education and employment in Tech Valley.
Baldwin was selected by his colleagues to be the chair of New York’s district superintendents, serving for two years. He was previously chair of the district superintendent’s School Improvement Committee, chair of the Association of Educational Services Agencies (AESA) Federal Policy Committee and President-elect of AESA. He also served as chief of staff to New York’s Commissioner of Education in 2010-11. He has successfully advocated for an expanded role for BOCES in school improvement and reform activities and as a vehicle for expanded intergovernmental cooperation. Baldwin has presented at a number of conferences and workshops and testified before legislative committees and executive task forces on issues of educational leadership, school reform and mandate relief for local school districts.
Previously he has served as New York State executive deputy secretary of state, associate counsel in the New York State Assembly, deputy corporation counsel for the City of Troy and school attorney and chief operating officer for Questar III BOCES. He was elected to the East Greenbush Board of Education for two terms. In his second term he was elected vice president of the board.
A graduate of Union College, Baldwin earned a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Columbia University Teachers College.
Born in Albany, he is a lifelong resident of the
Capital Region. He currently resides with his wife Rebecca in North
Greenbush where he has been active in various civic and community
organizations. The Baldwins have three adult children and one
grandchild.
