Gilbert Public Schools has appointed Carrie Soderman as its next director of safety and security, starting in September.
Soderman joins the district following a 20-year career with the Gilbert Police Department, where she most recently served as the school resource officer unit sergeant.
“I'm a parent in the district, so safety and security of the students is a high priority for me as a parent,” Soderman told the governing board after her appointment Aug. 26. “I thank the Gilbert Police Department for 20 years of wonderful service and wonderful opportunities, and I look forward to bringing that to the school district and working with our A-rated district and all of our students and our parents and our administrators.”
Her law enforcement background includes experience as a school resource officer, hiring and recruitment detective, special victim unit detective, and both patrol officer and sergeant.
Before her time in policing, Soderman worked in education as a fifth-grade teacher with Chandler Unified School District.
She has longstanding ties to Gilbert schools, not only through her role overseeing school resource officers but also as a GPS parent.
Soderman will succeed Allen Cain, who is leaving the district to pursue an opportunity in the private sector focusing on K-12 safety and security.
Cain, a retired Chicago Police Department officer, joined Gilbert Public Schools after his policing career and spent his time in the district building comprehensive systems and initiatives to enhance student and staff safety.
District leaders credited him with laying a strong foundation for ongoing efforts to protect school communities.
Board Clerk Blake Robison said he was nervous about replacing Cain but came away impressed with Soderman after meeting her.
“I think she's going to do an amazing job and really happy for all of our families that we have such an amazing person to fill in for Al (Cain), who's leaving,” he said.
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Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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