Fred M. Podolski
Former Executive Director
Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, Nassau BOCES
An enthusiast for all things technological, Fred M. Podolski was known as "Mr. Gadget"—always fiddling with the latest smartphone, tablet or laptop.
As executive director for Nassau BOCES' Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology (CIT) for nearly a decade, he played an integral role in the education of Nassau County's 225,000 students. During his tenure, he helped increase educators' understanding of the impact technology could have on student performance.
Among his accomplishments, Mr. Podolski oversaw the creation of the first-ever Long Island Technology Summit for educators in 2005, received a $1 million grant to improve American history education in Nassau County, and was instrumental in the development of a new high-tech facility catering to the professional development of teachers.
He also helped establish Nassau BOCES' Instructional Data Warehouse, which provides analysis of student data and other tools to help enrich instruction.
He led a staff of more than 300 employees responsible for the curriculum and instruction, health and safety, informational management and technology services provided to school districts throughout the county. He previously served Nassau BOCES as the assistant director of CIT and as a supervisor of instructional technology programs.
Prior to joining Nassau BOCES in 1991, Mr. Podolski was a computer support teacher with the Ithaca City School District and a computer technology teacher in the Oswego Middle School District. His earliest work involved designing and programming instructional software for career education at SUNY New Paltz, and also delivering workshops for educators in the use of technology in migrant education at SUNY Oswego.
Mr. Podolski was a member of the steering committee for the Nassau School and Municipal Savings Initiative. He also served on the USNY Technology Policy and Practice Council and on WLIW/21's Instructional Television Service Committee.
Mr. Podolski lived in North Massapequa, N.Y., with his wife Debbie and was stepfather to Erik Jaszcar, of Manhasset.
