NCTQ Advisory Board member Steve Adamowski will leave the American Institutes of Research (AIR) in mid-November to become the superintendent of the Hartford, Connecticut school district. Adamowski had been taking a break from the grind with a few stints in academia and research, having acquired a national reputation as superintendent of Cincinnati from 1998 to 2002. There Adamowski put together one of the first performance-pay plans in the country, though it died before full implementation. Search committee Chairwoman Ada Miranda said, "We ended up with really high-profile candidates. What made a difference with Mr. Adamowski is that he's done it before. He exudes that confidence...that gives you the vision it can be done." Congratulations and good luck, Steve!