Gates Chili Central School District

Dr. Mitchell Ball serves as the interim superintendent of schools for the Gates Chili Central School District in Rochester, NY. With more than two decades of leadership experience across K-12 education and the private sector, Dr. Ball provides steady, student-centered leadership focused on instructional excellence, operational effectiveness and long-term district sustainability.

Since joining Gates Chili in early 2020, Dr. Ball has played a central role in advancing districtwide initiatives spanning finance, facilities, instruction, safety and community engagement. His leadership has supported major capital projects, long-range planning efforts and systemwide improvements aligned to student learning and well-being. Notably, helped to make Gates Chili the first district in upstate New York to add electric buses and charging infrastructure to its transportation fleet, reflecting a commitment to innovation, fiscal responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Dr. Ball holds School Finance Officer certification through ASBO International. He earned a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo, a master’s degree in educational administration and a certificate of advanced study in school business administration from SUNY Brockport, and a doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University.

Iva Petrosino, APR is the executive director of communications and community engagement for the Gates Chili Central School District. To this role, she brings a deep understanding of how strategic communication fosters trust, equity, and engagement in school communities.

Since coming aboard the Gates Chili team in 2019, Iva directed a districtwide branding campaign, led consistent communication to staff and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheaded unique budget communication tactics in an uncertain and challenging fiscal climate, and created confident, courageous messaging around equity and inclusion. She also provides training to staff members about inclusive language, social media and other communications-related topics.

Iva began her career in television news at WWBT-TV in Richmond, Virginia, and WHAM-TV in Rochester, York, before transitioning to school public relations. She is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and serves as the APR/Ethics Chair for the Rochester Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). In addition to being active within these organizations as a leader and mentor, Iva has earned more than 30 communications awards including being named to NSPRA’s 35 Under 35 in 2023. Iva holds a B.S. in Mass Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture as well as the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).