At its May meeting the Gwinnett County Board of Education announced that Berkeley Lake Elementary School will have a new principal for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

Dr. Susan Bearse, currently principal at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Lawrenceville, will take over as principal at Berkeley Lake ES, which is part of the Duluth Cluster schools. She fills the position of retiring Principal Dr. FA McLeod.

Dr Bearse has been the Cedar Hill ES principal since 2009, and was Assistant Principal at Chattahoochee Elementary from 2006-2009. She also served in the position of Assistant Principal at Norcross Elementary from 2002-2006 and taught third grade at Peachtree Elementary from 1997-2002.

Dr. Bearse began her career in education as a teacher in 1977 at North Allegheny School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and later served as the school's Assistant Principal.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She also earned Master's and Doctorial degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Bearse will take over her new role as Berkeley Lake Elementary School's principal on June 1, 2012.