David Cohen named Jericho High School principal amid leadership changes

A familiar face has been named principal of Jericho High School and the district has appointed three new assistant superintendents, officials announced.

David Cohen, who retired last month from his role as the district's assistant superintendent for human resources, will serve as the high school's interim principal for the 2026-27 school year. He will replace co-principals Brian Cummings, who retired on July 1, and Joseph Prisinzano, who was promoted to the newly created position of assistant superintendent for administration, analytics and innovation.

Desiree Clemente has been elevated from the district’s director of pupil personnel services to assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services. She will take on additional responsibilities in her new position, Superintendent Robert Kravitz said.

The district has also named educator Robert Zywicki the new assistant superintendent of human resources, professional development and policy. Zywicki is joining the district from Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he was superintendent-in-residence at the graduate school of education, according to this LinkedIn page and biography.

Zywicki has also served in leadership roles in several New Jersey school districts.

The new appointments come as Kravitz enters his sophomore year at the helm of the Nassau school system. Kravitz replaced longtime leader Hank Grishman, who retired last year after 30 years at the helm.

"I want people that come from different perspectives, who I can build a team around," he said in an interview with Newsday on Monday. "As I just completed my first year, so it’s now time to build my team that will take Jericho to the next level."

New leadership

The new assistant superintendents will work in the 2026-27 school year alongside Victor Manuel, assistant superintendent for business affairs, and Ivy Sherman, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Both Manuel and Sherman are set to retire at the end of next school year and their positions will be filled, bringing the number of assistant superintendents from three to five.

"We will go through the process come the fall, starting to advertise and looking for the best candidates out there, as we will also for a high school principal," Kravitz said.

Clemente's salary will be $205,000. Prisinzano will be paid $268,500 and Zywicki will earn $228,000, according to Kravitz.

Cohen, who had been co-principal of the high school before becoming an assistant superintendent, will receive a salary of $249,696 as interim principal. 

Kravitz said Prisinzano's new role will allow the district to better serve students by using data and analytics.

"You have math programs, you have language arts programs, you have class observations ... student grades ... attendance," Kravitz said. "We need someone to look at all of that and start to say, how can we get better for every student and develop those plans."

Kravitz said Prisinzano has knowledge of the district's student information system, which will help them establish a strong database.

Kravitz praised the district’s culture of success and likened Jericho’s methods to a "perfect wooden structure, made with Jenga blocks."

"You don’t want to knock anything down, so you have to look at one block at a time, take it, clean it up, make sure it’s working perfectly, and them put it back into that puzzle," he said.