Arthur Oakes is looking forward to taking over the position of director of operations at Northwestern Lehigh School District in March.

He promised to bring some "sunshine" (openness) when he arrives.

Oakes held the same position in operations with the Tamaqua School District for seven years.

Prior to that, he was a union electrician and gradually worked up to operations.

Oakes, a graduate of Tamaqua High School, said he knows many people in the Northwestern Lehigh School District.

His wife, Kim, is a kindergarten teacher at Hopewell Elementary School in the Southern Lehigh School District.