The Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors named two finalists for the district’s superintendent position. At its meeting on Tuesday, the Board announced the final candidates as:

Dr. Christine Moloney — She is currently serving as EPS’s interim superintendent, a role she has filled since July 2, 2024. Before coming to EPS, Dr. Moloney served as the superintendent for the Chehalis School District for four years. She has held multiple positions in schools and districts, including teacher, assistant principal, principal and chief academic officer. In addition to Chehalis, she has worked in the Puyallup, Bethel and Franklin Pierce school districts. (See biography provided by candidate)

Dr. Christina Kishimoto — She served as superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education, leading the only statewide public school system in the nation, from 2017 to 2021. Dr. Kishimoto has also served as superintendent for Arizona’s Gilbert Public Schools and Connecticut’s Hartford Public Schools. A Vancouver resident, she is the founder and CEO of Voice4Equity, which advocates for women and leaders of color, and also serves as a professor of Clinical Education for the University of Southern California. (See biography provided by candidate)

Next Steps: On Wednesday, March 12, the finalists will participate in a Community Meet & Greet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Board Room at the Administrative Service Center. The event will be open to the public and allow community members to speak to and ask questions of the candidates and provide feedback to the board. Spanish and Russian interpreters will be available.

Before the public session, the finalists will go through a series of panel interviews with district groups, including administrators, students and labor partners.

After the March 12 sessions, the Board will interview the candidates on March 13, then formally deliberate on March 18 and announce a final decision at its March 25 meeting. The new superintendent will assume the position on July 1.

The Process: The finalists were determined by the Board after a six-month process facilitated by the Human Capital Enterprises search firm. It included focus groups and meetings to establish a “Next Superintendent Criteria” outline, followed by a recruitment window and interview rounds in January and February.

Background: Either finalist would become the first woman to hold the role of EPS superintendent on a permanent basis. The role opened when John Boyd retired after serving first as interim superintendent from February 2022 to February 2023, then as the permanent superintendent until he retired in June 2024. The Board, after a search process facilitated by Human Capital, hired Dr. Moloney as interim superintendent on a one-year contract.

The Board of Directors is responsible for hiring and overseeing the superintendent. Its current members, who were elected by voters in the district, are Jacqueline Weatherspoon, Ginny Gronwoldt, Rob Perkins, Julie Bocanegra and Gary Wilson.

About Evergreen Public Schools: With more than 22,000 students in 38 schools in the city of Vancouver, Evergreen Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Washington. The district was founded in 1945, when nine schools from eight different districts came together.

Information provided by the Evergreen School District.