Mead hires new superintendent

Thomas Rockefeller was selected Wednesday to be the new superintendent of schools for the Mead School District.

Rockefeller, 49, is currently the superintendent of the Pullman School District. He was selected by the Mead School Board as one of two finalists for the job. Michael Dunn of Cheney Public Schools was the other finalist for the post, selected from an original pool of 18.

“(Rockefeller’s) qualifications are what made him our choice; his vast experiences, and his style of leadership, which is a great fit to take the school district to the next level,” said Denny Denholm, school board president.

Rockefeller has been the superintendent for the 2,100-student Pullman district for six years.

He was previously the director of curriculum and instruction for the Ridgefield, Wash., school district, where he was also a principal, curriculum director, and the director of technology. He was also a teacher in that district for 14 years.

Rockefeller received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree from the University of Portland, and a doctorate in educational administration from Portland State University. He earned his superintendent’s endorsement from Washington State University.

“I’m just extremely pleased,” Rockefeller said Wednesday from Pullman. “Working in a district that has a good reputation was appealing to me.”

Mead, located north of Spokane, has about 8,300 students and a booming population. Enrollment increases at about 1.5 percent per year.

“There’s going to be some challenges with redistricting elementaries, with the new elementary coming on,” Rockefeller said. Mead voters passed a $37.7 million bond in 2004 to build a new elementary school to deal with growth and replace Mead Middle School.

“I have some history with construction and building,” having just helped to build a middle school in Pullman, he said.

He is scheduled to start in Mead on July 1.

Rockefeller is married to Pera, a registered nurse. They have three children – two of whom attend WSU, and a son in high school.