He will succeed Jennifer Rousculp Miller as superintendent upon her retirement next summer, according to an agency press release.
Bagnola comes to Clark County after working for the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities Human Resources Director since 2012. Prior to working with Mahoning County, he was a public school teacher for 23 years.
“As a classroom teacher, I worked daily to implement IEPs for students and plan lessons that would be relevant for them,” Bagnola said. “I was passionate about giving young people with special needs the opportunity to experience inclusion with their typically developing peers.”
Developmental Disabilities of Clark County is a taxpayer-funded agency that works to empower people throughout their lifetime to achieve their fullest potential, the release says. Clark DD funds and supports the F.F. Mueller Residential Center, Adult Services, intervention programs for children, specialized transportation, vocational training, and more. Often, care for people with severe disabilities is too costly for families to afford, according to the agency press release, and the number of people with developmental disabilities receiving vital services in community continues to grow.
Bagnola said the care and well being of those with developmental disabilities is personal to him.
“I have two decades of personal experience in the field of developmental disabilities,” Bagnola said. “Because my daughter has been in the developmental disabilities program since she was a baby. I can relate to the work, planning, and advocacy that family members encounter daily.”
Bagnola plans to continue the good work of the agency including the deeds accomplished by his predecessor.
“We will continue to give families the support they need,” he said. “I look forward to building relationships and making connections that help families through sometimes difficult situations. There have been many changes in our field, and we need to ensure individuals and families have the information and support to get over hurdles they face.”
Bagnola is a native of Canton and received an undergraduate degree in history from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Ashland University, and a juris doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law. He has worked in several teaching positions and as an assistant pastor in Youngstown. He also worked as a lawyer for 13 years in the Mahoning County Court system.
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