Lapeer County — Throughout his tenure as a teacher, principal and superintendent, Steve Zotto has been committed to seeing students succeed and realize their potential both in and out of the classroom.
That drive, combined with 40 years of education experience, led him to help expand several key programs as superintendent of the Lapeer County Intermediate School District (LCISD).
Zotto, 66, a Romeo native, will retire from his position with LCISD this week after 13 years as the district's superintendent. He will be succeeded by Dr. William Culmer, former superintendent of Almont Community Schools. Culmer was elected to the LCISD Board of Education in May and will officially begin his position with the district on Sept. 2.
Meanwhile, the Lapeer County academic community celebrated Zotto's career with a retirement open house on Sunday. Colleagues, friends and Zotto's family gathered at Bell's Events Center in Almont to wish him well in his retirement. Several local school superintendents and education leaders also shared their memories of working with Zotto over the years.
For Zotto, the event was a homecoming of sorts, as prior to arriving at the ISD, he served as principal at Almont High School and superintendent of Almont Community Schools. In recognition of Zotto's tenure in Almont, Almont Community Schools and Almont Township officials worked with the Lapeer County Road Commission to officially name the district's service drive between Howland Road and Kidder Road as Zotto Drive.
To Zotto's surprise, Almont Township Supervisor Paul Bowman presented him with a “Zotto Drive” road sign at a retiree open house.
Lapeer Community Schools Superintendent Matt Wandley acted as emcee on behalf of Zotto and called him a “standard-bearer” for school superintendents across the county.
“During his 13 years with ISD, Steve epitomized getting results and making those around him better,” Wandley said. “It was a pleasure working with Steve and he left an indelible impression on our county and will be missed in Lapeer. Steve was and is a consummate professional. He was one of my most trusted colleagues, but more than that, he was a good friend. I wish him the best and look forward to seeing him around the county in the coming years.”
A legacy of growth
During Zotto’s tenure, LCISD completed expansions of the Lapeer County Educational Technology Center (Ed-Tech) Construction Trades and Welding and Machining programs in 2016, as well as expansions of the Early Childhood Center and Digital Media Arts in 2022. The district also acquired a new building on M-24 (Lapeer Road) to house administrative offices and the Strive Center for special needs students.
Mr. Zotto was instrumental in establishing the STEMM Academy, a partnership between ISD, Lapeer County school districts (primarily Almont, Imlay City, and North Branch) and Mott Community College and Baker College to provide free early college courses to students, and helped the district partner with the Lapeer County Community Foundation (LCCF) to launch the Lapeer Educational Achievement Fund (LEAF), which provides a free student savings account to every Lapeer County child entering kindergarten in Lapeer County.
Prior to becoming the ISD superintendent, Zotto served as superintendent of Almont Community Schools from 1993 to 2011. As Almont superintendent, he led successful bond efforts to build Orchard Elementary School and Almont Middle School.
Almont Township Superintendent Paul Bowman, current vice chair of the LCISD Board of Education and a former Almont school board member, worked with Zotto as a board member for more than 30 years. Bowman said Zotto was a “one of a kind” superintendent who pushed for Almont and ISD expansion and worked hard to build consensus among the school boards he served on.
In addition to being dedicated to his work, Zotto has also earned a reputation for being well-dressed at work.
“Steve has been known for the way he dresses over the years. Whether he's attending athletic events or meetings, he is rarely seen without a suit on,” Bowman said. “He definitely has the look and feel of a superintendent and is very well respected by the community and the school board.”
Despite the accolades, Szot doesn't take credit for his success, saying it should go to those around him – administrators, teachers and support staff – according to Jen Szot, his high school sweetheart and wife of 40 years.
“Steve always said it takes a team to realize a vision, and he had people who were willing to put in the time, believed in him and worked with him to get to where he is,” she said. “He's most proud of the people he worked with because without them he couldn't have accomplished anything.”
Passion for Teaching
Zott is retiring after 43 years in education. After earning a bachelor's degree in education from Saginaw State University, he began his career as a high school social studies teacher in his hometown of Utica in 1981. He then moved to northern Arizona where he was a teacher and coach at Winslow High School before becoming an admissions officer for Bell & Howell Education Group (1984-85).
At the time, Zott had recently married Jen in 1984. Although his job at Bell & Howell paid well, he missed teaching in the classroom and felt he wasn't making full use of his educational training.
That's when Zotto decided to move back to Michigan and take a part-time athletic director position at Richmond High School in Macomb County. His pay may have been reduced, but his passion for teaching was back on track.
Zotto soon became Richmond's assistant principal and full-time athletic director while also attending Wayne State University to earn his master's degree. He then worked as an assistant principal at Croswell-Lexington Middle School for a year before becoming principal of Almont High/Middle School in 1988. Five years later he became superintendent of Almont Community Schools, a position he held until moving to LCISD in 2011.
As Almont School Superintendent and later ISD Superintendent, Mr. Zotto spearheaded the LITES Consortium (Lapeer Interactive Telecommunications Educational System) fiber optic program for Lapeer County Schools to facilitate distance learning and generate revenue for educational opportunities.
It's all about the students
No matter where he served, Zott’s greatest motivation was promoting the success of children, and even before his foray into education, he volunteered with the Mount Clemens Children’s Parks and Recreation Program.
“One of his favorite roles there was being a cycling instructor for the special education kids,” Jen Szot said. “He loved that job because the kids had a great time. He loved coaching, motivating and working with the kids.”
Anne Schweiman, LCISD's director of administrative services and human resources, has worked with Zott for 13 years and said his passion for student success is reflected in many areas of the district, such as ISD's partnerships with local businesses to provide job opportunities and internships for students in CTE programs. She also supports the vision of ISD's special education administrators to provide job opportunities for students with special needs both before and after graduation.
“The word 'mediocrity' doesn't exist in Steve's way of doing things. He demands excellence from himself and his staff,” Schweiman said. “And it's all because he wants to provide the best educational opportunity for his students, whether it's general education or special education. That's a high bar we're all willing to aim for.”
Although Zotto sets high expectations for his staff, he also tries to keep the atmosphere in the office “light.” Jen described her husband as a “prankster” who likes to celebrate April Fool's Day. (Schweiman is one of her husband's favorite targets.)
Zotto is a sports enthusiast who enjoys playing golf and basketball in his free time. He was a standout athlete in high school and college, playing quarterback for the Utica High School and Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) football teams. He was inducted into the Utica High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the SVSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2010, he was recognized as the Outstanding Alumnus by the SVSU Education Department.
In addition to education, public service occupies much of Zotto’s time. He is involved with many local nonprofit and service organizations, including the Lapeer County Community Foundation Board of Directors, the Children’s Advocacy Center Board of Directors and the Lapeer County Community Collaborative (Vice Chairman).
When Zotto isn't busy at ISD, he spends as much time as he can with his grandchildren – he and Jen are parents to three children, Jamie, Neil and Janelle, and grandparents to three young children, Marlowe, Graham and Teagan.
As he prepares for retirement, Zotto said he plans to spend more time with his family and play more golf. As he always has, he credits his career with LCISD to others, including the school board, staff, his fellow superintendent in Lapeer and, most importantly, Jen, whose guidance he has always sought out in decisions as an educator.