Euclid Schools Unveil New Leadership Trio at Community STEM Event

Euclid City Schools is using a free, sports-themed STEM event to publicly launch three leaders who will shape the district's next chapter: incoming Superintendent Karen Brown, Corey Russell in an expanded education-and-workforce role, and new Euclid High School Principal Ariel Hayes.

The introductions will take place during the STEM Playbook "Game Changers" Experience, scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Doc Daugherty Gymnasium at Euclid High School. Students, families, staff and community members can attend at no charge.

By unveiling three top administrators at once through a hands-on STEM event open to all Euclid families, the district is signaling that accessibility and workforce preparation will define the new administration's approach.

The timing matters. Superintendent Christopher Papouras retired, leaving the district to replace its top leader while also expanding its education-and-workforce leadership and bringing in a new high school principal. Papouras, a 1986 Euclid High School graduate, served as superintendent from August 2019 after being appointed on an interim basis in June of that year and officially named to the post that December.

Brown brings more than 25 years with Euclid City Schools to the superintendent's office. She began as an English teacher at Euclid High School and holds a bachelor's degree in English, with a minor in secondary education, from Case Western Reserve University. She also earned a master's degree in education in school counseling from John Carroll University and received principal and superintendent licensure through the Cleveland State University Center for Educational Leadership's First Ring Leadership Academy.

Russell is taking on an expanded role as Executive Director of Education and Workforce, overseeing a dedicated department that elevates career pathways and employer partnerships to a central strategic priority. Hayes is the new principal of Euclid High School, the building that will be the primary site for workforce-preparation programming and STEM initiatives.

Together, the three will sit at the center of decisions that reach into nearly every part of district life: what students learn, how they are prepared for work after graduation and whether career-readiness promises lead to meaningful results. Brown will be responsible for the district as a whole. Russell's expanded job gives workforce preparation its own department. Hayes will lead the high school where college and career choices become immediate for students and families.

The July 28 event will blend sports, science and career exploration with hands-on activities in areas such as sports medicine, robotics, computer science and sports analytics. The sports-themed approach is designed to make STEM careers tangible and accessible to Euclid students who might otherwise see science and technology fields as abstract or out of reach.

Brown's quarter-century tenure in Euclid, spanning classroom teaching and multiple instructional and administrative roles, positions her as a leader with direct experience across the district's schools and programs.

For residents, though, the event should be more than a polished afternoon of demonstrations. It is an early chance to see whether the district's emphasis on career preparation is built around real pathways or simply around appealing displays. The critical question for Euclid families is whether activities in sports medicine, robotics, analytics and technology will translate into actual internships, industry certifications or job placements for district students.

With Russell now leading a dedicated Department of Education and Workforce, families have a right to know what concrete benchmarks—graduation rates tied to industry credentials, internship placements, post-secondary enrollment in STEM fields or employment data—will define success. Residents should ask what specific employer partnerships are in place or planned, what measurable career outcomes the district will track and how the community will be able to verify that workforce-preparation promises are producing results.

The new leadership's credibility will ultimately rest not on the quality of the July 28 event, but on whether Euclid students gain tangible economic opportunities—college acceptances, career certifications, apprenticeships or jobs—that they would not have accessed otherwise.

Euclid families, students, staff and community members can meet Brown, Russell and Hayes in person at the free STEM Playbook "Game Changers" Experience on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Doc Daugherty Gymnasium inside Euclid High School—and pose the hard questions about accountability, metrics and career outcomes that will determine whether this leadership transition delivers real results.