Yaniro, Westfield School District Business Administrator, to Retire In August

Dana Sullivan will replace Vincent Yaniro as the district’s business administrator on Sept. 1, according to an announcement made by Superintendent Margaret Dolan at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Tuesday night was the final board meeting for Yaniro, who is retiring in August. The former Chatham school official after his was abruptly removed due to having corruption charges brought against him.  

Dolan led the board in thanking Yaniro for a job well done during the past 15 months.

“He is a professional to be admired,” Dolan said of Yaniro, who worked in five other school districts before coming to Westfield last year. “We’ve certainly benefited from those experiences.”

Yaniro returned the gratitude, saying it has been an honor to work with the members of the board during his time as board administrator.

Sullivan, a certified public accountant and licensed public school accountant, has been the business administrator of the Montclair School District – which is comparable in size to Westfield's – for 15 years. Dolan, who served on the team that interviewed Sullivan and other candidates, commended Sullivan’s performance throughout the process.

“There was not one question we put forward that Dana was not able to answer comprehensively,” Dolan said.

As administrator, Sullivan will assist Dolan in preparing and administering the annual school budget. She will also serve as the board’s official purchasing agent, ensure proper maintenance with auditing requirements and tax laws, and supervise several levels of district personnel and business operations.

Dolan was joined on the interview team by board members Richard Mattessich, Mitch Slater and Mark Friedman, as well as several prominent district administrators.