Our Team
Main Campus
Robert Burnside
Mr. Burnside has served as the principal of Lakota East High School since August 2021. An original Thunderhawk, he was an English teacher when Lakota East opened in 1997 before leaving the district to enter administration. He returned to Lakota East as the associate principal of East Freshman Campus prior to moving into his current role after a stint as the principal of New Richmond High School. His passion as an educator is to create a school culture where students feel excited about learning and attending and staff feel there is no other place where they would rather be, and he loves seeing #theEASTway evolve each and every day. Outside of school, he and his wife, Angelique, are the parents of 6 children. He enjoys reading, writing, hiking and traveling when he is away from school.
Matthew MacFarlane
Mr. MacFarlane has worked in the Lakota School District since 2014 and has been an assistant principal in charge of students with the last name L-Z at Lakota East since 2019. Before he started teaching in the suburbs of Chicago in 2007, he completed his undergrad from DePaul University and earned his master's from Concordia University Chicago. He is a fan of all things Lakota East and enjoys positively impacting the lives of others.
Doug Hale
Deputy Hale began working in Lakota in 1995. He has been the school resource officer (SRO) at Lakota East since the school opened 1997.
Deputy Hale enjoys being around the students, building positive relationships with them and being able to assist them if help is needed. He enjoys seeing the students laughing and having fun, as school resources officers enjoy this as well.
Since 1985, Deputy Hale has worked with the Butler County Sheriff's Office on the road, in detectives, crime prevention and then as an SRO position for Lakota. He is a founding board member of the Ohio School Resource Office and now serves as president.
Deputy Hale takes his role as school resource officer very seriously and is committed to the safety and security of Lakota East. He encourages parents to reach out to him if they have a need, question or anything to report about their child or another student.
Dawn Hetterich
Mrs. Hetterich worked at Ridge Junior High and Liberty Junior High for 3 years in the cafeteria and as an instructional aide before joining the Lakota East Team in 2019. She is responsible for attendance for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Mrs. Hetterich has 4 children who have all attended Lakota East.
Susanne Linder
Mrs. Linder spent two years at Shawnee Early Childhood School before joining the Lakota East team in 2014. Susanne worked in the administration office for four years before becoming office manager in 2018. As the office manager, she is responsible for school communication and purchasing for the building. She also works with substitute teachers, making sure all classrooms are covered.
Mrs. Linder earned a BA in Communication Arts from University of Cincinnati and has an MBA from Xavier University. She has 3 children who all attended Lakota East High School.
Jill Meiring
Ms. Meiring is beginning her first year as the Athletic Director at Lakota East, and her 8th year overall in the district. She was previously the Assistant Athletic Director and Facilities Manager at East and has extensive experience in athletic administration and coaching. As a former basketball coach, Ms. Meiring coached collegiately at Transylvania University and Marietta College, as well as Hamilton High School and Saint Ursula Academy. During her time at SUA, Meiring was also the head field hockey coach for one year and assistant Athletic Director. Ms. Meiring is looking forward to a great sports season for all of our Thunderhawk student-athletes!
Katrina Murray (Fugate)
Ms. Murray (Fugate) has been in education for 24 years as an English teacher and an assistant principal. She graduated from Miami University and Wright State. Ms. Murray started at Lakota East in 2023 as an Assistant Principal. In her role, she oversees students with last names beginning with A-K.
Keri Myers
Mrs. Myers joined the Lakota East team in 2018. She is the Main Office Secretary and is responsible for issuing work permits and parking passes. She has two children who both attended Lakota East High School.
Christel Zajbel
Mrs. Zajbel is a transplant to the Dayton/Cincinnati area. She was raised in East Tennessee and the U.S. Air Force brought her here many years ago. Nursing is her second career, Christel earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from Miami University. She worked in ICU, care management and school nursing. Mrs. Zajbel has served as a nurse in Lakota for 11 years at Union Elementary School, Hopewell Jr. School and as a District Float nurse. She lives with her husband, Jim, in Lebanon but all 3 of their children graduated from East High School. Mrs. Zajbel enjoys traveling, listening to music and live bands, entertaining and spending time and making memories with friends and family.
Freshman Campus
Bill Brinkman
Mr. Brinkman is entering his 34th year in education. He began his career as a high school math teacher, coaching various sports, in Indiana. After spending 10 years in Indiana, Bill moved to Ohio and continued teaching. In 2009, Mr. Brinkman began his administrative career as an Assistant Principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus. After 13 years in this role, Bill is excited to serve as the Associate Principal at East Freshman, leading the amazing staff and students to success. Mr. Brinkman exhibits a growth mindset, valuing each and every student, while helping them to reach their full potential.
In his personal life, Bill enjoys spending time with his family and following any and every sport possible. Bill spends the winter months on the hardwood floors of a basketball court - he has been an Indiana High School basketball referee for over 35 years. He encourages you to keep up with the Lakota East Twitter pages @LakotaEastFresh and @East_Hawks.
Bethany Noble
Ms. Noble has worked in education since 2011 and has been with Lakota Local Schools since 2014. She worked as a School Psychologist at primarily the secondary level until August 2022 when she transitioned into the role of Assistant Principal at Lakota East Freshman Campus. As a servant leader, Ms. Noble works to foster an environment where every student is given an opportunity to learn, gain the skills they need to be successful and grow individually within a community where they can feel safe and supported. She values the staff and community as a family so that everyone feels valued and connected