Pending approval from the Florence Unified School District’s Governing Board, Thad Gates will be the new assistant to the superintendent for administrative services beginning on July 1.

Gates’ appointment was recently announced in a press release from FUSD.

“His innovative leadership abilities and years of experience in the educational field will enable FUSD to meet the needs of our students, staff and families as we continue to grow in Florence Unified,” stated FUSD Superintendent Chris Knutsen in the press release.

As assistant superintendent of administrative services, Gates will provide leadership to a variety of departments including human resources, support services, building maintenance, athletics and community education. 

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to provide the highest level of customer service, guidance and support to all FUSD employees while working to move our district forward as we strive to recruit and retain the best educators possible to positively impact our students’ academic, social and emotional learning needs,” Gates stated in the release.

Gates earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary social sciences from the University of Northern Colorado and started his professional career in K-12 education in 1999 as a high school social studies teacher in Elizabeth, Colorado.

He then moved to Arizona and spent four years teaching social studies at Skyline High School at Mesa Public Schools. During that time, he earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. 

After five years of teaching and coaching various sports, he obtained his first leadership position as an assistant principal and athletic director at Westwood High School in Mesa. 

In 2013,  Gates was offered the principal position at Florence High School.

“I spent four of the most rewarding years of my career leading Florence High,” he stated in the release.

In 2017, Gates was promoted to the director of exceptional student services and secondary education in the Florence Unified School District Office. He served in that position until 2019, when he was promoted to director of school improvement. Last year, Gates was promoted again, this time to director of human resources.  

Gates has been married for 23 years and has a daughter and son. Gates enjoys spending time with family and friends and staying active by getting outdoors, playing the guitar and traveling to the mountains and the beach.