Awards Award Winners Superintendents to Watch Honorees 2025-26 Superintendents to Watch Neil Gupta, Ed.D.

Dr. Neil Gupta leads Oakwood City Schools with a communication-driven leadership style centered on listening, transparency and shared ownership. From his first days as superintendent, he prioritized understanding the community’s “hopes, fears and dreams,” using that input to build a collaborative mission, vision,and strategic direction for the district.

“Dr. Gupta is a bold, innovative, and future-driven leader who deeply understands the value of strategic communication—not just as a department function, but as a cornerstone of effective district leadership.”
— Matthew Miller, Coordinator of Innovation, Butler County Educational Service Center

A Community-Driven Vision Built on Listening

Rather than arriving with a predetermined agenda, Gupta launched an extensive series of listening sessions with individuals and small groups to understand the community’s priorities. Those conversations led to a collaboratively developed mission and vision, supported by a visual framework, “Embarking on a New Journey Together,” which integrates communication goals directly into the district’s strategic plan.

“Dr. Gupta prioritizes genuine, personal interaction. He chooses face-to-face connection over emails, walks the hallways greeting students by name, and is a familiar presence at concerts, athletic events, and community gatherings. His visibility reflects his deep belief in the power of connection and engagement.”
— Wendy Barhorst, Community Relations Director, Oakwood City Schools

Making Two-Way Communication Accessible

Dr. Gupta is actively and visibly involved in diverse communication efforts designed to maximize transparency and dialogue, including:

1. Equitable Community Outreach: He significantly enhanced transparency by transforming the digital Quality Profile into a printed report mailed to every home. This ensures all residents, including those without students in the schools, are informed about the district's strengths and growth areas.
2. Accessible Two-Way Forums: To lower barriers to attendance, he introduced monthly "Community Coffee Chats" and alternating "Cocoa and Conversations," strategically offering both daytime and evening options based on community feedback.
3. Formalized Stakeholder Input: Dr. Gupta assembled a group of community members called "Key Communicators" to meet regularly. This consistent group creates a safe environment for open dialogue and deep conversations on critical issues like safety, curriculum and facility planning, providing continuous feedback from a community perspective.
4. Data-Driven Transparency: He commissioned a comprehensive, third-party community survey to collect baseline data on various school-related topics, with the transparent sharing of these results at a board meeting and on the district website, exemplifying his commitment to open accountability.
5. Prioritizing Direct Student Engagement and Leadership Development: Dr. Gupta places a high priority on connecting with students both formally and informally, ensuring their voices and perspectives inform district decisions and foster their leadership skills. He co-leads a Principal/Superintendent Advisory group where he not only connects with students to gather essential feedback and inform them of district updates, but also actively teaches students about leadership principles and organizational function. This program develops future leaders while ensuring the superintendent's perspective is grounded in the student experience.

Integrating Communication Into District Strategy

Gupta elevated communication to a measurable strategic priority by establishing a formal planning process where none previously existed. In his first year, the board goal was to “Create, share, and communicate a comprehensive communication plan,” followed by a district vision area focused on “Effective & Transparent Operations.” This ensured that communication, accessibility, and transparency were built into how Oakwood plans, budgets, and reports progress.

Key structures supporting this work include:

1. Public Board updates and narrative reports tied to district goals
2. A printed Quality Profile mailed to every household so residents without students remain informed
3. Digital and social channels used to share progress, celebrate successes, and provide factual updates on academics, facilities, finances and safety
   

A Visible, Hands-On Communicator

Gupta serves as Oakwood’s chief communicator. He visits every school weekly, attends academic and extracurricular events, hosts staff coffee chats, writes monthly blogs, and works directly with the communications team on media responses and district messaging. His approach combines face-to-face connection with consistent digital outreach, reinforcing trust and accountability across all audiences.

Dr. Gupta is equally active in the broader community, integrating the schools into local civic life. He attends Rotary weekly, utilizing this traditional setting to provide updates, gather essential community feedback and advocate for schools.