Dr. Vito D’Elia will succeed Dr. David Bennardo as superintendent of the South Huntington school district, the Board of Trustees announced Wednesday night.
Currently assistant superintendent for business and district operations for the district, D’Elia will move into the district’s top job when Bennardo retires at the end of the school year.
“Dr. D’Elia has the experience, leadership skills, work ethic, vision, and moral compass to build upon the incredible success of Dr. Bennardo and continue South Huntington’s upward trajectory,” said Nicholas Ciappetta, president of South Huntington’s Board of Education. “During the interview process, Dr. D’Elia impressed the Board of Education with his passion to be Superintendent and understanding of the Wildcat culture. I look forward to working closely with him to reach our shared goal of making South Huntington the finest school
district on Long Island.”
D’Elia was named to the assistant superintendent’s job in 2019 after serving as principal of Maplewood Intermediate School for 13 years. He got his start in education in the Rockville school district.
Ciappetta said Bennardo had brought “transformative leadership and a relentless work ethic and gregarious nature” to the superintendent’s position, and brought “South Huntington to new heights and raised the bar for future superintendents.”