Jamestown Public Schools Executive Director of Information and Student Services Jessie Joy is recognized for her 33 years of service to the district (August 4, 2026)
Jamestown Public Schools is recognizing Administrator Jessie Joy as she retires after more than 30 years in the district.
Joy, who was the Executive Director of Information and Student Services, has retired effective August 12, 2026 after 33 years, including the last 18 years in a cabinet-level position.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said that a lot of what Joy did was “invisible and below the surface that people would never see,” “Even though people recognize how much she does above the surface. So, the combination of those two things means a very impressive person who is able to navigate any kind of issue, problem, data planning, you name it. She has experience, confidence, and ability. And, while we are sad to see her go, the impact that she’s made on this district has been tremendous, both in the classroom, as a curriculum person, and as a data and IT person.”
Joy started in the district as a math teacher at Jamestown High School.
She said, having graduated from a small, rural district, the first year at JHS was a struggle, “I struggled to adapt to the challenging environment that we have, the streetwise kids that I wasn’t streetwise from my youth experience. But, by the end of that first year, the mentors that I had, in the teachers at Jamestown High School, and the support that I had from the administration, I realized at the end of that first year that I wasn’t going to look to a smaller district that was more comfortable for me. That I was going to commit myself to be one of the very best educators and the most committed educators that the students at Jamestown High School could have.”
The Jamestown School Board voted Tuesday to approve Katie Russo as the new Executive Director of Information and Student Services.
Katie Russo
Russo, who formerly was the Lincoln Elementary School Principal, will oversee the district’s pupil personnel services, including special education, counseling, health services, and family engagement efforts, while also overseeing the district’s information technology services.
Russo graduated from Jamestown High School in 1990, receiving her associate’s from Jamestown Community College and her undergraduate, master’s, and administrative degrees from SUNY Fredonia. She has spent her entire career as a teacher and administrator in Jamestown. From 1994 to 2013, she served as a teacher at C.C. Ring Elementary School. In January of 2013, she was appointed to serve as Principal of Lincoln Elementary School after serving as an administrative intern in the building.
Russo and her husband Matt reside in Jamestown and are the proud parents of two children: Ben, a 2017 JHS graduate, and Sarah, a 2019 JHS graduate. She has served as president of the Jamestown Principals Association, is a member of the School Administrators Association of New York State, a former board member of the Jamestown Community Learning Council and is a member of Holy Apostles Parish. She received JCC’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2021.
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