LYNNFIELD — After spending 17 years in the school district’s central office, Thomas Geary was appointed superintendent of schools in July after serving as interim superintendent since February. Geary said the role is “personal” for him.

“I thank everyone for being welcoming,” he said. “I believe we are on the right track and… now that we’ve got some pieces in place, we’re really going to take off.”

Before assuming the district’s acting-superintendent role in December, Geary had most recently served as the assistant superintendent of finance and operations. Prior to coming to Lynnfield Public Schools, he worked for Harvard University Athletics for three years, a job he took because he did not feel “fulfilled” at his corporate accounting job.

He graduated from Boston University in 2000 and has a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a certificate in educational leadership from Harvard, Geary said.

Geary grew up in Lynnfield and moved back in 2008. He is raising his two sons, both of whom attend schools in the district, in town.

“My favorite things, of course, are the teachers and the students,” he said. “But just the pride that people have here, it means something to me to see us successful.”

The most important responsibility of the superintendent is to listen and understand what goes on in the schools, Geary said.

“In my mind, the role is a lot of — yes, it’s leading of course, it’s going to be leading a school district — but it’s also about building trust, building relationships, getting feedback through conversations,” he said. “Eventually, you have to make decisions that maybe people don’t like, maybe they don’t agree with, but at least if you’ve built up a rapport with them, they might not agree with you, but they at least can understand why you did something.”

He said his short-term goal is to continue to establish a positive culture for students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community.

One of Geary’s long-term goals, among other “hot-button topics,” is addressing the STEM programs in the district. But it is more important, he said, to reassess the district and find out what the community cares about.

He said he is looking forward to being in the classrooms, and building and strengthening his relationships with the teachers and administrators.

Sitting in his office is “not glamorous and exciting,” but it is part of his job, Geary said.

“This isn’t where the good stuff happens,” he said. “The good stuff happens in a classroom with the teacher and students. I like seeing that and I like seeing how those relationships form between teacher and student. That’s really what makes me tick.”