Jen Taylor, Mount Union Area School District’s new superintendent, will begin leading the district on May 4, 2026.
By SYDNEE HARRIS | Journalism Student, Mount Union Area Senior High School
Mount Union, Pa. — Mount Union Area School District’s new superintendent, Jen Taylor, is stepping into the role with a strong focus on listening, learning, and building relationships across the district.
Ms. Taylor shared her passion for education, her past experiences, and what she hopes to accomplish in her new position.
Before becoming superintendent, Ms. Taylor served in many roles in education, including high school English teacher, department chair, curriculum coordinator, assistant principal, associate principal, assistant principal for online learning, middle school principal, and director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in a large rural district. In her role in online learning, she also helped coordinate district cyber programming. She taught at a career and technical education center as well. These experiences, she explained, allowed her to see education from many perspectives and reinforced the importance of teamwork.
Her decision to come to Mount Union was influenced by her own background. Having graduated from a small rural school, Ms. Taylor said she appreciates the close connections that come with smaller districts. She also noted that she is “not a status quo person” and believes in striving to be the best in everything a district does. “Mount Union Area School District is changing and growing, and I want to be part of leading that work,” she explained.
“There is something powerful about being educated in a place where people truly know one another—where teachers invest in students not only for today, but across generations of families and community life,” Ms. Taylor said. “Education changed my world when I was young, and it has been my lifelong goal to use education to create those same opportunities for others.”
As she begins her new role, Ms. Taylor’s top priorities are simple: “listen, learn, and lead.” She emphasized that every person in the district has valuable experience and perspective to contribute. “Understanding these is key to leading,” she said.
Ms. Taylor acknowledged that challenges are a natural part of the role but expressed confidence in the district’s ability to work through them together. “Anything worth doing comes with challenges,” she elaborated. “My role is to ensure that when challenges arise, we face them together, do the hard work, and move forward in a way that strengthens the district.” She added that students, staff, administrators, and the community all play an important role in that process.
Building trust with teachers and staff is another major goal. Ms. Taylor believes trust takes time and consistency, and she plans to be present in schools, communicate openly, and listen carefully to others’ ideas and concerns. She said she strives to be the kind of leader she needed as a teacher. She explained, “That means showing up, listening, and not asking anyone to do something I am not willing to do myself.”
She also emphasized the importance of relationships in education. Early in her career, Ms. Taylor said she underestimated their impact but quickly realized they are essential. She added, “Without strong relationships, we cannot accomplish what we set out to do in education.”
Looking ahead, Ms. Taylor identified improving district culture and student outcomes as key areas of focus. She explained that culture and learning are closely connected and that strengthening one can help improve the other.
She also pointed to the district’s size as one of its greatest strengths. “I’ve already felt a strong sense of welcome here and a shared commitment to doing what is best for students and the community,” Ms. Taylor said. “That sense of connection is powerful, and it is something worth preserving and strengthening.”
Ms. Taylor said she is excited to begin this next chapter and looks forward to working with the Mount Union community.
This article was published as part of Ms. Dimoff’s Journalism class at Mount Union Area Senior High School.
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