Wells Middle School welcomes Dwyer as interim principal 

As Wells Middle School anticipates the departure of its current principal Mark Neal, the Dublin Unified School District has appointed longtime educator Whitney Dwyer to take on the role on an interim basis. 

Dwyer previously worked at Dublin High School where she served as assistant principal since fall of 2021. DUSD director of human resources, Claire Mognaga, officially welcomed Dwyer to Wells during the Feb. 13 school board meeting. 

“During her time at Dublin High, Mrs. Dwyer has been a huge asset to the leadership team,” Mognaga said. “She has worked closely with her principal to train staff on school-wide initiatives like ethnic studies. She consistently models for students with grace, care and honesty, making everyone feel welcome and at ease.”

“She has been characterized as a strong leader with a great sense of humor,” added Mognaga. “We know Whitney will continue to do great things in Dublin unified and we look forward to seeing her grow at Wells.” 

Dwyer has worked in education since 2006. She taught in Oakland Unified School District for a number of years before joining DUSD. In 2021, she was recognized as a Teacher of the Year in OUSD for her work at Met West High School. 

Dwyer expressed gratitude toward the Dublin High staff as she accepted the role at Wells. 

“I am honored, I am humbled and I am happy to step in,” Dwyer told the board meeting audience. “I’m incredibly grateful for the leadership team that I’ve been a part of at Dublin High. They are my family. It is their belief in me that makes me feel confident that I can do a good job at Wells.” 

Two weeks ago Neal announced he would be leaving the district for another position with his final day at Wells being Feb. 29. Dwyer will be working with Neal over the next few weeks to ensure an easy transition, according to DUSD representative Chip Dehnert. 

“The process of hiring a site administrator takes time and is not easily accomplished in the middle of the school year,” Dehnert said. 

Neal originally began his position as Wells principal in July 2020. 

“In cases where a leadership role needs to be replaced quickly, an interim is typically appointed. This gives the district the time it needs to start the replacement process,” Dehnert added. “Our human resources department is already preparing to post the position, with the anticipation of hiring a new principal for a July 1 start date.”

DUSD plans to share more information about the Wells principal candidates as they become available in the next several months.