TAVARES, Fla. – The Lake County School District didn’t have to look far for its next leader.
The school board unanimously selected Deputy Superintendent Chad Farnsworth as the district’s next superintendent.
Farnsworth served seven years as assistant superintendent and chief of staff before being named deputy superintendent in 2024. Before joining Lake County, he was elected superintendent of Bradford County Schools in 2012, a role he held for four years. According to his resume, he raised the district’s grade, improved the graduation rate, and pulled the district out of a critical financial crisis.
Farnsworth plans to outline his vision for the district at an event next week.
Farnsworth takes over for Diane Kornegay, who announced her retirement at the end of the 2026-27 school year after more than 35 years in public education — including a decade as superintendent. Kornegay is the longest-serving appointed superintendent in Florida and was named Florida’s 2026 Superintendent of the Year by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.