Retiring Kettering superintendent plans to join suicide prevention nonprofit

KETTERING - Scott Inskeep, the outgoing superintendent of Kettering schools, will lead a Cincinnati-based nonprofit focusing on preventing youth suicide after his retirement.

According to the nonprofit, Grant Us Hope, he will assume the role on Sept. 1 after his retirement from Kettering schools in August.

Inskeep has been superintendent of Kettering City School District since 2014 and was Reading Community City School District’s superintendent for 12 years previously. Earlier in his career, he served as principal at various school levels in the Reading, Lockland and Mason City school districts.

“I can think of no better way to continue the momentum of my life’s work than to be positively impacting our next generation in this new leadership capacity,” Inskeep said. “I have been an advocate for the life-changing and life-saving work of Grant Us Hope for many years, and it means so much to now have the opportunity to lead the talented team responsible for furthering this tremendous and important mission to save young lives.”

Inskeep is also current president of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio’s school superintendent leadership organization. He has served on the National School Boards Association and the Valley Association of School Administrators; been an adjunct professor at both Wright State and Xavier Universities and is the former president of both the Ohio Distance Learning Association and the Reading Chamber of Commerce. Scott has been a member of the Grant Us Hope Board of Advisors since 2019.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-14, according to Grant Us Hope.

Grant Us Hope works to prevent youth suicide by educating, engaging, and empowering young people, creating communities of leadership, advocacy and awareness around mental health and suicide prevention, ultimately changing the culture of schools. One of its primary initiatives is the implementation of a proven peer-to-peer suicide prevention program called Hope Squad in schools across the region. Hope Squad students are trained to recognize warning signs in their peers who may be in distress and to refer them to trusted adults who can help.

Under Inskeep’s leadership, Grant Us Hope plans to expand its Hope Squad programming and other mental health services for teens and families who are struggling nationwide, according to the organization.

About the Author