Table of Contents
District Administration
Dr. Patrick Sullivan, Superintendent
Dr. Patrick Sullivan has served as superintendent at Liberty Central School District since July 2021.
He began his time at Liberty in 2016 as assistant director of student services, and in 2018 became assistant principal of Liberty Middle School. He was named assistant superintendent in July 2019.
During his time at Liberty, Sullivan implemented several initiatives to improve educational and emotional supports as well as safety and security.
He completed his undergraduate degree at St. Lawrence University and later earned a Master of Science in Education from Long Island University and a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from Long Island University. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Manhattanville College.
Dr. Derek Adams, Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Derek Adams began serving as Liberty’s assistant superintendent in July 2025.
He is a graduate of Livingston Manor High School, Sullivan County Community College, and SUNY Cortland. He earned a master’s degree from Emporia State University and a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY New Paltz. On Jan. 31, 2025, he earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.
He started his teaching career in 2005 at Sullivan BOCES, teaching physical education, before serving as the assistant principal and director of physical education, health, and athletics at Tri-Valley Secondary School.
In 2016, Adams was appointed high school assistant principal and athletic director at Wallkill Central School District.
He came to Liberty in July 2018, serving as Liberty High School principal.
In 2020, he earned an excellence in administration award from the Mid-Hudson School Study Council.
Laurene M. McKenna, Assistant Superintendent for Business
Laurene M. McKenna began her role as assistant superintendent for business in August 2022.
She taught high school mathematics for 23 years, nine at Liberty, before taking on her new role in the district office.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in mathematics and Spanish from Rosemont College, and her Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Vermont.
She has also received Certificates of Advanced Study for School Building and District Leadership from SUNY New Paltz, and for School District Business Leadership from The College of St. Rose.
High School
Stephen Matuszak, Principal
Steve Matuszak served as principal at Liberty High School in July 2025.
He grew up in the Binghamton, New York, area. He began his educational career as a substitute in the Maine-Endwell school district after earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a focus in social studies from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.
Matuszak moved to Sullivan County in 2007 to take a seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teaching position at RJK Middle School in the Monticello Central School District, where he also was a coach. He was the school’s behavior specialist his final year. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Scranton in curriculum development and design, and completed his certificate of advanced studies in educational leadership from SUNY New Paltz in 2019.
He began at Liberty in April 2020, serving as assistant principal at LHS.
A Liberty resident, he is married and has two daughters.
Lacey Jones, Assistant Principal
Lacy Jones has served as assistant principal since January 2024.
She has served as a speech-language pathologist for Sullivan BOCES since 2018 and served as the related-services team lead, mentor, and representative on numerous district committees. She provided early intervention speech pathology services to families in Orange County and Pennsylvania’s Pike County, where she lives with her husband and three children.
Jones completed her certificate of advanced studies in school leadership through SUNY New Paltz and the Mid-Hudson School Study Council’s “Homegrown Sullivan” cohort.
She graduated summa cum laude from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in speech-language pathology.
Destiny Matos, Assistant Principal
Destiny Matos began serving as assistant principal in September 2025.
Before coming to Liberty, she had nine years of experience in the New York City Department of Education, including roles as a special education/early childhood teacher, science content teacher, and a United Federation of Teachers Paraprofessional.
A mother of two, she has a master’s degree in school building leadership from Molloy University and a Master of Science degree in general and special education from Manhattan College.
Middle School
Heather Cheh, Principal
Heather Cheh began serving as the Liberty Middle School principal in December 2019.
She has a family with a military background, so she has lived in eight states and one European country. Cheh served as an assistant principal at Liberty High School from 2017 to 2019. She began her teaching career in 1996 at James McHenry Elementary School in Lanham, Maryland.
Cheh has been a teacher for grades 1-3, an instructional coach for teachers in grades K-6, and an adjunct instructor at Laramie County Community College, as well as the curriculum director at the Center for Discovery in Harris, New York, for five years.
She is also a proud parent of two Liberty graduates.
Cheh earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from the University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, and her Master of Education degree in elementary/secondary administration/supervision from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.
Dr. Jodie MacKrell, Assistant Principal
Jodie MacKrell was named an assistant principal at LMS in April 2024. She was hired as the dean of students at LES in January 2020 and was named assistant principal there in July 2022.
She grew up in Middletown, attending Pine Bush and Middletown schools. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a minor in English from the University of South Florida, a Master of Science degree in school leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctorate of Education degree in educational leadership from the University of Florida.
MacKrell began her teaching career in 1995 with Lee County Public Schools in Fort Myers, Florida, as a middle school ELA and history teacher.
Katlyn Rusin, Assistant Principal
Katlyn Rusin began serving as Liberty Middle School assistant principal in October 2023.
A 2004 graduate of Liberty Central School, she has been teaching English language arts in Liberty since 2014 and served as the eighth-grade advisor for four years.
Rusin earned her bachelor’s degree in English and a Master in the Art of Teaching from SUNY New Paltz, and a Masters in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University.
She began her teaching career at Sullivan West, where she taught for two years.
Elementary School
Robert England, Principal
Robert England started as principal at LES in July 2022. He had served as assistant principal there since 2016. In that time, he focused school improvement efforts on safety, social-emotional wellness, and instruction. He has led professional development in the building for all of his years at Liberty Elementary School.
Previously, England worked for the Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center (RSE-TASC), where his work focused on school and district systems improvement.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Dominican College, and his Master of Science in instructional technology from New York Institute of Technology. He earned his school building leader and school district leader advanced certificate from SUNY New Paltz.
Brittney Cunningham, Assistant Principal
Brittney Cunningham was named an assistant principal at LES in July 2022.
She is a Sullivan County local, born and raised, who lives in Swan Lake.
She is an alumna of Sullivan West, Sullivan County BOCES Career and Technology, Sullivan County Community College, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta, and is furthering her education at SUNY New Paltz. She holds educational certificates in childhood education, literacy, and administration.
Cunningham has been an educator for the past 10 years. She began her full-time teaching career in Liberty at St. Peter’s Regional School before joining the Liberty Central School as an elementary teacher in 2016.
Aeowyn Brust, Assistant Principal
Aeowyn Brust began her role as assistant principal of Liberty Elementary School in July 2026.
She has worked in Liberty Central School District for 16 years, serving as an ENL teacher and in leadership roles including K-12 ENL Director, K-4 ENL Facilitator, and Co-Advisor of the Wellness Committee.
Mrs. Brust earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from SUNY Albany and her Master of Science degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from SUNY New Paltz. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Building Leadership from SUNY New Paltz.
Student Services
Deborah DeGraw, Director of Student Services
Deborah DeGraw has served as director of Student Services at Liberty Central School District since July 2021.
She started working at Liberty in September 2016 as a high school special education teacher who taught English. In February 2019, she was named assistant director of student services. Before coming to Liberty, she spent 13½ years as a middle school special education teacher for Sullivan BOCES.
She is certified in special education K-12, English 7-12, and school leadership. She received her bachelor’s degree in 1998, a master’s degree in 2002, and a certificate of advanced study in 2009, all from SUNY New Paltz.
Amy Lynne Black, Assistant Director of Student Services
Amy Lynne Black has served as Liberty’s assistant director of student services since August 2021.
An alumna of Liberty Central School District, she began working as a teacher aide for special education at LES in 1993.
For the next nine years, she continued to work as a teacher aide and substitute in all three buildings while she worked to get her teaching degree.
She earned her Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts/elementary education from Sullivan County Community College in 1998, followed by her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and Master of Science degree in special education from SUNY New Paltz in 2002.
She began teaching full-time at LHS in 2005 as a special education teacher after filling several leave replacements and a year at a neighboring district.
In 2020, she received her Certificate of Advanced Study in School Leadership from SUNY New Paltz.
Athletics
Thomas Zehner, Athletic Director
Thomas Zehner joined Liberty Central School District as its athletic director in July 2025.
Mr. Zehner earned his bachelor’s degree from Sage College of Albany in K-12 physical education, a master’s degree in health, recreation, and physical education from Emporia State University, and a Certification of Advanced Study in School Leadership from SUNY New Paltz.
Before coming to Liberty, Mr. Zehner was an elementary physical education teacher in Beacon City School District since September 2017. While at Beacon, he was also the Adapted Physical Education Curriculum coordinator for four years and hosted 10 student teachers at the elementary level as a cooperating teacher for student teachers for six years. He also served as a coach for soccer, basketball, tennis, softball, and lacrosse at Beacon.
In his free time, Mr. Zehner, a resident of Wappingers Falls, enjoys golfing, hiking, playing sports, and spending time with his family and dog.
District Office
Stacy Feasel, District Data Coordinator/District Security and Privacy Officer
Stacy Feasel has been working as the district data coordinator and district privacy officer since 2022. She has worked for the Liberty Central School District since 2000. The DDC is responsible for the accuracy and submission of all the district’s state reports for student enrollment, demographics, and other related records. As DPO, Feasel monitors internal compliance, informs and advises on data protection for all personally identifiable information, investigates all possible data breaches, and reports all breaches to ensure all stakeholders’ rights in accordance with state and federal laws.
Through 2010, she taught in the middle school as a fifth and sixth grade teacher. In 2011, Feasel became the math interventionist for fifth and sixth grade. In 2019, she became the Middle School’s dean of students and the Multi-Tiered System of Support facilitator. MTSS uses student data to drive instruction to support all students.
Feasel is certified in elementary education and grades 7-12 social studies. She also has a second master’s degree in administration.
Patrick Killian, Director of Technology
Patrick Killian began serving as the district’s director of technology on July 1, 2023.
Before coming to Liberty, he served most recently as a teacher at the Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technology Education center. He had also worked as a teacher at the Sullivan County BOCES CTE, as well as a multimedia technician for the library system.
Before entering the educational field, he worked in the family telecommunications business as well as in the emergency radio communications field.
When not focusing on technology, Killian, a Liberty High School graduate, is a volunteer firefighter and is owner and operator of Pat’s Ag-Venture, which includes vegetable farming, beekeeping, and raising chickens for meat. It also has a specialty lumber component with a sawmill, kiln, and planer. The farm is also federally licensed to produce ethanol fuel.
Randy Kleingardner, Director of Facilities
Randy Kleingardner has been serving as Liberty Central School District’s director of facilities since late August 2024.
Kleingardner has been involved in the building construction and building maintenance industries for more than 45 years. He has worked in all positions of project management and building renovations, being responsible from start to finish and managing budgets from small to large scale. He owned and operated a successful maintenance and excavating company.
He was born and raised in Liberty and has lived here for most of his life. He and his wife own a successful local restaurant and bar.
About Us Links
About Us Contacts
Liberty Central School District
115 Buckley Street
Liberty, NY 12754
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent
Phone: (845) 292-6990
Any thoughts, suggestions, or questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out.