The school board for the Princeton Public Schools voted unanimously Tuesday night to hire Barry Galasso to serve as the interim superintendent of schools for the next six to twelve months. The selection must be approved by the Mercer County Superintendent of Schools.

Galasso is an adjunct professor at the Gwynedd Mercy University School of Graduate and Professional Studies. He received his doctorate in education from Rutgers University and has worked in education for his entire career, recently serving as the interim superintendent of the Vorhees school district.

Born and raised in Camden, Galasso spent most of his educational career in Camden County. He first served as a principal at the Berlin Community School in 1976, and became the superintendent there in 1983. He worked in Winslow Township for eight years and later took over as the Eastern Regional High School superintendent for 12 years. He then became the executive director of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, a public education agency based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania that addresses the special needs of county children there.

Galasso will work with Steve Cochrane, the current superintendent, before Cochrane leaves on June 30 to make sure there is a smooth transition.

Cochrane’s departure, along with the departure of Assistant Superintendent Annie Kosek, means that five of the six top administrators in the district will have left over the past year come June 30.