New Principal, New Chapter: How Dr. Dresback is Fitting in at Nease
By Portland Murray
With over 30 years in education and various job experiences, Nease’s student body welcomes Dr. Dresback back as the new principal for the 26-27 school year.
Dr. Dresback built his career around education in St. Johns County, holding many different positions in the district. He started his career in 1996, taking on the position of Principal at Switzerland Point Middle School and working there for two years. After that, he moved to Allen D Nease High School and stayed for seven years. During that time, Dr. Dresback was awarded with the St. Johns County Principal of the Year Award for the 2015-2016 school year. After his time at Nease, he moved to the district, where he served as Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services and Regional Superintendent for Secondary and Alternative Schools.
The Vertical Staff interviewed Dr. Dresback about his past experiences and what he wants the future of Nease to look like.
Q: How have your first couple of weeks been at Nease?
DR. DRESBACK: “I think it’s been exciting to get to meet everybody and to be able to see what’s happening on campus, and then start asking questions on what’s working well, what’s not working well, and what we can do to improve and to get better!”
Q: How have things changed from the last time you were at Nease?
DR. DRESBACK: “Well, I left in 2017 as the principal at Nease High School. When I was here before, there wasn’t a Panther Hall, there was a big green grassy knoll where parent pickup and drop off is. There was also a lot of changes with our new turf field and track, which is exciting for our sports to take advantage of that!”
Q: What are some new things that you are looking to implement in the new school year?
DR. DRESBACK: “So, a lot of it for this year will be to watch and look in areas that we need to improve. So not a lot of change – I don’t believe in change for change’s sake. What I believe in is: Let’s get data and see where we are able to get better. The biggest thing right now is I’m just looking for ways to increase student engagement, so we are trying out our first indoor pep rally, and we are super excited about planning that!”
Dr. Dresback’s focus remains on what’s best for the Nease community and supporting its students and staff.
Sources:
Algar, S. (2025, June 23). Regime change: Incoming schools chief Asplen announces slew of personnel changes. St. Johns Citizen. https://sjcitizen.com/regime-change-incoming-schools-chief-asplen-announces-slew-of-personnel-changes/
Andres, S. (2009, May 23). Nease principal going to county schools job. Florida Times-Union. The Florida Times-Union. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2009/05/23/nease-principal-going-to-county-schools-job/15984857007/
