Donald Neese
Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Donald Neese serves as the Chief Operations Officer for The School District of Lee County, bringing a distinguished record of leadership in both military and public service. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration from National University. His professional development includes Six Sigma Black Belt Certification and Project Management Professional training from Syracuse University.

A dedicated advocate for community and country, Mr. Neese proudly served over 20 years in the United States Navy, completing eight overseas deployments and earning numerous campaign and individual awards. Following his military career, he spent eight years in federal government service, including roles as Chief of Staff and Director of General Services at the USDA. He also served as a civilian leader at the Department of Defense, overseeing critical national projects and programs.

Purpose

The Operations Division transforms the vision of the School Board and Superintendent into reality by ensuring safe, clean, and healthy environments for over 100,000 students and staff across more than one hundred locations in Lee County.

• Maintenance delivers customer-focused services that promote safe and healthy learning environments. Through preventive maintenance, efficient resource management, and responsive support, the Maintenance Team ensures all facilities and equipment remain functional, sustainable, and conducive to learning.

• Capital Planning ensures that every student in the School District of Lee County has access to safe, high-quality learning environments by proactively monitoring enrollment, projecting future trends, and strategically securing land for future schools. Through data-driven planning, regulatory compliance, and strong partnerships with local governments and communities, we support thoughtful and sustainable growth across the district.

• Capital Construction plans and constructs Lee County School District facilities by utilizing budgeted Capital funds in a timely and cost-effective manner. Creating a world class school system by providing state of the art facilities to meet all educational programming requirements.

• Food Service & Nutrition (FNS) provides nutritious meals that support student health, well-being, and academic success—without using instructional funding. FNS adheres to all state and federal guidelines and proudly served 16,582,960 meals during the 2025 school year.