Marietta officially names sole candidate Rivera as superintendent

A headshot of Grant Rivera, who was named superintendent of Marietta City Schools on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Photo courtesy Marietta City Schools.

Credit: Photo courtesy Marietta City Schools

Credit: Photo courtesy Marietta City Schools

A headshot of Grant Rivera, who was named superintendent of Marietta City Schools on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. Photo courtesy Marietta City Schools.

Marietta City Schools officially named Grant Rivera as its new superintendent Monday.

The board voted unanimously for the lone candidate.

The school system announced its pool of one in early November.

Rivera will take over Jan. 1, the day after Emily Lembeck retires from the position after 12 years leading the district. She announced her retirement in August.

Rivera is currently the chief of staff for the Cobb County School District.

Rules dictated that his 33-page resume and other information be public for 14 days after he was announced as the lone candidate.

Rivera is husband to Jenn Hobby of the Star 94.1's Jeff & Jenn Show. Their baby daughter, Reese, was recently diagnosed with cancer.

"Rivera's overall experience, his understanding of the Cobb/Marietta Community and his passion to be a collaborative superintendent for Marietta made him a strong candidate from the beginning," said Jason Waters, Marietta schools board chair, in a statement.

The national search started in early September and ran for a month.

The Marietta school system has about 8,900 students.

You can find information about Marietta City Schools, such as test scores, graduation rates, and school climate ratings at the Ultimate Atlanta School Guide.