Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1 Superintendent Kathi Weight will recommend the hiring of Dr. Melissa Beard as the new Chief of Finance and Operations, to begin responsibilities July 1, 2018. The Board will consider the recomendation at the June 13, 2018, special school board meeting to be held at Pioneer Middle School, DuPont, WA.
Dr. Beard currently serves as the Senior Forecast Analyst with the Office of Financial Management Education Research and Data Center. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the Master’s in Public Administration program at the Evergreen State College and as a member of Tumwater School District’s Board of Directors. She brings a strong background in legislative and state finance, as she previously served as a Budget Analyst with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a Research Analyst with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, and as a Fiscal Analyst with the House of Representatives Transportation Committee.
Dr. Beard earned her Bachelor’s degree from University of Washington, her Master’s degree in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University and her PhD from the University of Washington in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
Melissa and her husband, Jim, have a 14 year old daughter, Kainoa.
“Melissa Beard is known as an educational leader with a passion for serving community schools. We are thrilled she is joining our Steilacoom Historical School District team. Dr. Beard’s experience in finance, policy and data will be of great benefit to our system and will ultimately have a positive impact on the decisions we make to support student achievement,” stated Dr. Weight.