Administrative Bios
Meet Our Administrators!
Superintendent Of Schools
Dr. Joseph Guarino
Dr. Joseph A. Guarino was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester Area School District in August 2025, with his tenure beginning on July 1, 2026. Dr. Guarino is currently the Superintendent of Schools in the New Brighton Area School District and will now proudly serve as Superintendent of both Districts under a Shared Superintendent Model. He has been with the New Brighton Area School District since 2004, beginning as a teacher and then principal of the New Brighton Middle School. Prior to coming to New Brighton, Dr. Guarino was a part of the Teach for America program, which led him to start his teaching career as a high school biology teacher within the Baltimore City Public School System. Dr. Guarino holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Pittsburgh in School Leadership and Policy Studies, in addition to his Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility and
Principal Certification. He received his Master’s Degree from The Johns Hopkins University
and his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Delaware. Dr. Guarino and his wife Johanna, a proud New Brighton Alumna, are actively involved with their three children, Will, Ella, and Gabe.
Business Manager
Mrs. Kathleen Gomory-Onuska
Mrs. Onuska joined the Rochester School District administrative staff in the 2015-2016 School year. She is a Certified Public Accountant and has worked for several school district and accounting firms in the county. Mrs. Onuska received her Master’s Degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia and undergraduate degrees at both Robert Morris University and Penn State. She is a former Rochester graduate. Her father Jim Gomory was the Physical Education teacher from 1954 to 1988 and two of her four children are successful Rochester graduates. Mrs. Onuska is happy to be home again!
Middle & High School Principal
Dr. Amanda Cwynar
Dr. Cwynar has been an administrator at Rochester Area School District since 2016. Dr. Cwynar has held a variety of administrative positions, including K-12 Assistant Principal, Elementary School Principal, Athletic Director, and currently is the Assistant to the Superintendent. Dr. Cwynar joined the Rochester Area School District after teaching Special Education at New Brighton High School for nine years. In addition to her duties as a teacher, Dr. Cwynar was also the Transition Coordinator at New Brighton. She has a passion for sports and has coached both soccer and softball. Dr. Cwynar received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education at Geneva College and her Masters of Curriculum and Instruction at Clarion University. Dr. Cwynar earned her Principal’s certificate, Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility and Doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cwynar resides in Beaver County.
Elementary Principal
Ms. Rachael Cipolla
Ms. Cipolla is our Elementary School Principal. Prior to this role, she served as the Curriculum Coordinator at PA Cyber and Science Teacher at Rhema Christian School. She also worked for the New Brighton Area School District, as well as several years as a Teacher with the DARE 2 XL program. A Beaver County native, Ms. Cipolla graduated from Beaver Falls High School and Geneva College with a degree in Biology and Secondary Education. She completed her master’s degree in Biology from Clemson University, and her master’s degree in Educational Administration from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. Ms. Cipolla and her family reside in Hopewell Township, and she is very excited to be working with the staff, students, and community members of Rochester!
Director of Student Services, Special Education
Mr. Nathan Leeman
Mr. Leeman is our Director of Student Services. Previously, he worked at Pace School, an Approved Private school in Allegheny County, for 25 years. He fulfilled the roles of Principal, Education Supervisor and Technology Coordinator, while working with students ages 5 – 21, all of whom qualified for special education services. He has consulted with public and private school personnel throughout the United States and presented at national education conferences teaching and learning about best practices for trauma-informed classrooms, the Sanctuary Model, and Aimsweb, a web-based Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) tool. Mr. Leeman began his career as a Secondary Math teacher in Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. In addition to a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Pittsburgh, Mr. Leeman has certifications as a PK-12 Principal and as a PK-12 Instructional Technology Specialist. Mr. Leeman lives in Moon Township with his wife and family.
Director of District Technology
Mr. Ryan Herstine
Mr. Ryan Herstine joined the Rochester Area School District in 2015 as the Technology Specialist and was soon promoted to Technology Coordinator. In 2024, Ryan was again promoted to Director of District Technology. He earned an A.S. in Network/ System Administration from Pittsburgh Technical College and additionally completed several technical certificates. Ryan is a proud father of one. When not at work he enjoys watching his son play hockey and traveling to Disney with his family.
Director of Building and Grounds
