The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board announced Thursday, Jan. 30 the names of three finalists in its search for the district’s 23rd superintendent.

The finalists for the job are:

• Dr. Kimberly Guerin, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, Scottsdale Unified School District.
• Dr. Scott Menzel, Superintendent, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Dr. Shelley Redinger, Superintendent, Spokane Public Schools, Spokane, Washington.

The announcement came following a five-hour executive session during which the board reviewed 29 candidate applications that were submitted during the past two months, according to a press release. SUSD’s superintendent Dr. John Kriekard retires June 30.

Finalists will be interviewed, round-robin style, Feb. 21 at the Mohave District Annex, 8500 E. Jackrabbit Road. The board will interview finalists alongside five committees representing key SUSD stakeholder groups: teachers, students, parents and community members, district leaders, and staff.

These committees are to represent SUSD geographically and by school grade-level, and reflect the diverse roles people have with the district.

At the conclusion of the Feb. 21 interviews, which are not subject to Arizona Open Meeting law, each committee will provide feedback on the finalists to the Board. No timeline has been announced for the Board to extend an offer of employment to its choice for superintendent.

The search for SUSD’s next superintendent first began in the fall of 2018, after Dr. Kriekard rejoined the District as Acting Superintendent in May of that year.

In December 2018, the outgoing Governing Board voted to leave the superintendent’s hiring to the new board that formed in January 2019. Rather than renew the superintendent search at that time, the new board negotiated to keep Dr. Kriekard as superintendent through the 2019-20 school year.

Kimberly Guerin

Dr. Guerin became assistant superintendent, educational services in April of 2019, replacing Dr. Steve Nance in the role. Prior to SUSD, she worked in Paradise Valley Unified School District as a the assistant superintendent of elementary education.

She also had roles as an assistant director of curriculum, a director of elementary education, a teacher and a principal, per an introduction from Dr. Kriekard at the April 16, 2019 Governing Board meeting.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she has a bachelors degree from Arizona State University and a Doctor of Education from Northern Arizona University.

Scott Menzel

Dr. Menzel is the superintendent of Washtenaw Intermediate School District in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Intermediate school districts in Michigan serve as a coordinating organization for local districts in Washtenaw County.

Prior to his appointment to WISD in 2011, he served as superintendent of Livingston Education Service Agency and Whitmore Lake Public Schools, both in Michigan, according to WISD’s website.

Dr. Menzel has a Bachelor of Arts from Vanguard University, Master of Arts from the American University and Ed.D from Eastern Michigan University. He was previously a finalist for superintendent at Peoria Unified School District.

Shelley Redinger

Dr. Redinger has been the superintendent of Spokane Public Schools since 2012, which is in the community where she was born, according to the Spokane Public Schools’ website.

She has served as superintendent of Spotsylvania School District in Frederiscksburg, Virginia and of Oregon Trail School District in Sandy, Oregon. She was also executive director of teaching and learning for Richland School District in Washington.

Her experience also includes being a principal, assistant principal and a teacher in elementary schools in Washington and South Carolina.

She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Education from Washington as well as another Master of Education and a doctorate degree in educational administration from the University of South Carolina.