Seconds after the Board of Education voted at its meeting on August 27 to hire Bob Gerbert, Jr, of Trumbull as the district’s new facilities director, one of his sons slapped him a high-five while his other son clapped.

A brief celebration followed, and Michelle Gerbert, Mr Gerbert’s wife, and their twin boys, Jack and Jake, smiled as much as the new hire.

As approved by the board, Mr Gerbert’s tenure as facilities director begins August 30.

The position was left open following the resignation of former Director of Facilities Gino Faiella, which was announced at the school board’s July 9 meeting.

Mr Gerbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, and a Building Efficiency and Sustainable Technology Certificate from Norwalk Community College. His previous work includes being a building systems engineer for the City of Stamford and a senior manager of facilities and engineering for Purdue Pharma in Stamford from 2014 until the present, according to his resume.

“As a member of the committee that interviewed the candidates,” Board of Education member Debbie Leidlein said, “we had many strong candidates, and Mr Gerbert certainly showed himself as being a very well-informed member of the field.”

Many of Mr Gerbert’s areas of expertise, Ms Leidlein added, “will fit wonderfully within our district.”

Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku offered her congratulations after the board’s unanimous vote to hire him, and Mr Gerbert shared that he is grateful for the board’s support.

“I look forward to being a very high energy person and contributing the best I can to both the school system and the Newtown community,” he said. “I look forward to a lot of success here.”