When Steelers linebacker Ron Stanley ended his brief NFL career in 2006, his most valued keepsake was a Super Bowl XL ring he earned with the team the previous season.
The Saginaw (MI) native now will be able to showcase that ring to staff and students in his new position as St.Charles (MI) Community Schools superintendent. He was unanimously approved for that post last March by the community’s Board of Education and officially took over his new office last week on July 1.
“I took quite a path when I first left football,” Stanley recalls. “I held several different community jobs in my hometown before I turned to education. However, just talking to the folks in this community and the members of my board, I really feel that St. Charles is a great opportunity for me.”
When he left the Steelers, he was offered a position with the Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority. He later moved on to become a property manager with the Saginaw Housing Commission. The turning point in Stanley’s post-NFL career occurred a few years later when the Saginaw Community Foundation asked him to lead its fitness program for local schools. He eventually taught physical education in the district for four years.
He then was encouraged to apply for the Saginaw Township Country School District Dean of Students open position. He was approved for the post and served in that role for five years.
It was at that point that the educational bug bit him and he returned to college to earn a master’s degree in educational administration.
“I fell in love working within the education system,” says the 42-year-old Michigan State graduate. “I have a genuine passion and commitment to educating students. I pride myself on great leadership and building relationships. I want my new St. Charles community to know that our educational system here is a partnership with the local citizens and we’ll never impose anything on them.”
We at NFL Alumni congratulate Ron Stanley as he begins his new Superintendent’s job and wish him, his faculty and all the students under his care much success when school resumes this fall.
