FWCS Hires New General Counsel as Bill Sweet Retires

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Record Number: 16202
Displayed from: Dec 21, 2016 , until: Feb 21, 2017

The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees approved hiring David M. Amen as the district's new General Counsel. When he begins Jan. 10, 2017, he will take over the position from William Sweet, who has served as an FWCS attorney in varying capacities since 1973, including full-time since 2003.

"No one can replace Bill, whose institutional knowledge is unrivaled, but we are excited to welcome David Amen as our new in-house legal expert," Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson said.

Amen comes to FWCS with 10 years of legal experience, including working as an assistant public defender in Missouri, deputy prosecutor in the Allen County Prosecutor's Office and as a solo practitioner in family law, criminal defense, business and real-estate transactions and more. In addition, he has worked as an adjunct faculty member teaching juvenile law at Indiana Tech Law School.

Amen is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and received his Juris Doctor from University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He is licensed to practice in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Illinois.

Sweet leaves FWCS after nearly 44 years, working with the district through countless employee contract negotiations, the settlement of the Parents for Quality Education with Integration desegregation lawsuit in 1990 and the increasingly complex legal landscape affecting public education.

"Bill has been a friend and an advocate for Fort Wayne Community Schools, public education and children in the city for more than four decades," Dr. Robinson said. "I will miss him personally and professionally, but I wish him all the best in his retirement."


With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.