PITTSFIELD — Two familiar faces and two newcomers will be joining the ranks of school leadership in Pittsfield when classes start in — cover your ears, kids — a little more than five weeks.

The familiar faces appointed as principals are Jamal Ahamad, who is heading from Pittsfield High School to Conte Community School, and Heather Gancarz, who is moving from Morningside Community School to Egremont Elementary School.

New to the city are Ron Tomlin, who came out of retirement to take the helm at Herberg Middle School, and Carol Forward, who will be principal at Williams Elementary School.

Assistant Superintendent Nicole Shepardson introduced Ahamad, Forward and Tomlin to the School Committee on Thursday night, and invited each to speak. Gancarz was unable to attend the meeting.

Ron Tomlin, who served as principal of Knox Trail Middle School in Spencer, will take the helm as principal of Herberg Middle School for its first year as the city's fifth  and sixth grade school.

Tomlin, who served as principal of Knox Trail Middle School in Spencer, is Herberg’s fourth principal in three years. He's succeeding Mike Taber, who stepped down after a year for a position at McCann Techical School in North Adams.

Tomlin is coming out of retirement to lead a school facing its own transformation, from a grade 6-8 middle school to a citywide grade 5-6 lower middle school.

According to Shepardson, Tomlin and the staff at Knox Trail helped the school improve from a state accountability rating in the bottom 20 percent to the top 33 percent. She said Tomlin credits the turnaround to building a positive climate and setting high standards for teaching and learning.

Tomlin said his first priority will be building a positive culture at Herberg.

“When you walk in our building, you are going to feel the positive energy as soon as you walk in, because without that you have nothing,” he said. “Students need that type of atmosphere to learn, and teachers need that type of atmosphere to teach.”

“I have almost 20 years' experience dealing with fifth and sixth grade, so I know the emotional level of the students, and we're going to create an atmosphere catered to that, and we're going to have high standards,” he said. “We are going to expect the best from everyone, and from the staff, and from all of you.”

Jamal Ahamad, who has been at Pittsfield High School the past year and a half, has been appointed as the new principal at Conte Community School.

Ahamad was a dean of students at Pittsfield High for part of 2024-25 and assistant principal for all of 2025-26. His experience also includes an administrative role at Pine Cobble School in Williamstown and teaching at Mount Greylock and Taconic high schools.

At Conte, he is succeeding Theresa Dudziak, who is returning to teaching at Herberg.

“My wife and I do not have kids, but we always say that if we were to, we would like to be committed to creating a space in which we knew that they felt safe, invested in, and had things to do,” Ahamad said. “So it is my hope to do that for Conte Community School, and in doing so, to also create a space for our faculty in which they feel supported to be there as well.”

Ahamad holds a master's in education and a bachelor's in creative writing and arts management, both from MCLA. He’s an experienced dance teacher and choreographer.

Carol Forward, who has been appointed the new principal at Williams Elementary School, taught music for 25 years in the East Longmeadow schools.

Forward, a music teacher in the East Longmeadow schools for 25 years before transitioning into administration, was most recently principal of Warren Elementary School in the Quaboag Regional School District. She is succeeding Kerry Light as Williams principal.

“I really look forward to helping merge the two communities of Morningside Elementary Community School and Williams Elementary School, and making everyone in the school community feel welcome and safe,” Forward said. She said she would focus on “culture, collaboration and calibration,” as well as working to bring Williams and Morningside’s students, faculty and families together “to make it a wonderful place for all students and staff.”

Gancarz's first year as principal at Morningside ended with shouldering the responsibility of closing the building, She is following many of her students to Egremont, whose longtime principal, Susan Dapson, has retired.

Gancarz was previously assistant principal of teaching and learning at Conte, where she was also a first and second grade teacher and literacy coach.