White Salmon superintendent candidates named

A full calendar of the day’s events can be found on the White Salmon Valley School District web page.

Out of the 20-odd candidates discovered by recruiters NW Leadership Associates, three candidates made it to the final stage, listed below: Keith Harris, Ed.S,  assistant superintendent of Dickinson Public Schools from Dickinson, S.D.; Sean McGeeney, Ed. D, executive director of P-12 Programs from Yakima, Wash.; and Edward R. Murray, Director of Personalized Learning and Public Relations from Laurens, S.C..

Keith Harris

Keith Harris has been assistant superintendent of Dickinson Public Schools since 2018, according to his resume. Having received his undergraduate degree from Weber State University in 1996, Harris began teaching social studies a year later in Driggs, Idaho, eventually becoming pre-K-5 principal at Driggs Elementary School in 2001, according to his resume. In 2004, Harris began work as the K-12 Principal in Afton, Wyo., where he stayed until 2015, when he became the curriculum director for the Big Horn School District No. 1 in Cowley, Wyo. Following a two to three year stint there, Harris found his current position in South Dakota. One achievement listed in his resume boasts a “100 percent high school graduation rate for 11 consecutive years" during his time in Afton.

Sean McGeeney

Sean McGeeney began his teaching career at Hamilton Creek K-8 School in Lebanon, according to his resume. After nearly four years, McGeeney was named interim principal while transitioning between administrators. He later served as assistant principal at Highlands Elementary School in Renton, Wash., and then principal of Crescent Heights Elementary School through 2018. According to his resume, in his role as executive director for P-12 programs at Yakima Public Schools, McGeeney provided leadership for 12 teaching and learning departments, ranging from music to Highly Capable to mentoring new teachers to Migrant and Indian Education programs. McGeeney received his doctor of education in Educational Leadership from George Fox University.

Edward Murray

Edward Murray has most recently served as the director of Personalized Learning and Public Relations, a position he started last year. In that role, according to his resume, Murray said he served as acting superintendent at board and civic meetings, while orchestrating operational, administrative, and fiscal processes. Murray also spent some years as assistant principal and dean of students in North, S.C., and as an adjunct science professor at the University of Phoenix. Murray received his undergraduate degree from California State University, and later received two masters from National University and University of Texas. According to his resume, he is currently a doctoral student at Clemson University, studying Educational Systems Improvements Science.