District Leadership
DAVID TAYLOR
David Taylor is the Superintendent and CEO of the Dayton Early College Academy (DECA). He started his teaching career at DECA as a language arts and social studies teacher and has also served as assistant principal, principal, and deputy superintendent before assuming his current position. During his tenure DECA has earned several awards including the rating of “Excellent with Distinction” by the Ohio Department of Education, selection as one of America’s Top High Schools for “Closing the Gap” by Newsweek, the designation as one of America’s Best High Schools for five consecutive years by the US News & World Report, and selection as one of the Governor’s Innovation Award recipients in 2017. The Ohio Alliance of Public Charter Schools named him School Leader of the Year in 2014, and he was selected as a member of the Dayton Forty Under 40 in 2020.
Originally a native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, he moved to Ohio to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Childhood Education from Cedarville University. He later earned a Master’s of Education from Cedarville and completed the Program for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton and Wright State University and is currently a Lead Coach for the Montgomery County Equity Fellows.
Mr. Taylor currently serves on several community boards including Public Media Connect (Think TV), Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, and the Engineering and Science Foundation (ESF) Board. He and his family are active members of Mosaic Church.
CHARLES BULL
Charlie Bull is the Deputy Superintendent of the Dayton Early College Academy. Charlie began his teaching career at DECA, teaching in the junior high before going on to serve as a founding teacher and staff member at DECA PREP, eventually being named Assistant Principal. In 2016, he became the founding principal of DECA Middle before becoming the Director of Human Resources for all DECA schools in 2022, overseeing the talent recruitment, development, and retention strategy for DECA.
A Dayton native, Charlie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Childhood Education from the University of Dayton. He earned a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia University, completing the Summer Principals Academy. For several years, Charlie has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton in the Urban Teacher Academy, preparing pre-service teachers to teach in urban schools, and he has been an Internship Coach for Columbia University, coaching aspiring principals across Ohio in school leadership.
Mr. Bull serves on the Teacher Education Advisory Board for the University of Dayton, the Diverse Educator Recruitment Initiative at Wright State University, and is an active member of the Diversity Recruitment Educators Association for Miami Valley.
STEVEN HINSHAW, Ph.D.
Steven Hinshaw, Ph.D. is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the Dayton Early College Academy including DECA High, DECA Middle and DECA PREP. Since 1993, Dr. Hinshaw was the Chief Financial Officer in local public school districts such as West Carrollton and Centerville and was the Deputy City Manager for the City of Centerville. His career in school finance is marked by a commitment to efficiency, that is, containing costs while maximizing the allocation of resources to students. His leadership in financial reporting and stewardship has earned him several awards from the Ohio Auditor of State and Government Finance Officers Association.
He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Dayton, an M.S. in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a B.A. in Economics from Indiana University. For several years, he has served as adjunct professor at the University of Dayton and Miami University regularly teaching graduate-level education and business courses. He received the national University Council for Educational Administration’s “Excellence in Educational Leadership Award” for his exemplary record of promoting and supporting educational administrator and leadership preparation efforts.
His community service activities have included serving on the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Board of Trustees, Five Seasons Club Board of Governors, Centerville Rotary Club as Treasurer, and as a member of Governor Taft's Blue Ribbon Task Force for School Funding Reform.