High Desert Education Service District announces two new leadership appointments
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The High Desert Education Service District has appointed two new leadership positions to the executive team, including an assistant superintendent and a regional director of school improvement.
The two positions report to Superintendent Paul Andrews and serve students, families, schools districts and communities in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties.
Anna Higgins is HDESD’s new assistant superintendent, overseeing the organization’s human resources, communication and innovation efforts. In addition, she continues to serve as the executive director of i4Education, the nonprofit innovation arm of the HDESD.
Higgins joined HDESD in 2013 as a founder and executive director of Better Together Central Oregon, a regional, cross-sector partnership working to improve the educational outcomes and well-being of young people from cradle to career. She most recently served as HDESD’s chief strategy & innovation officer. Higgins brings more than 19 years of expertise in education and nonprofit leadership to the role.
Rochelle Williams is HDESD’s new regional director of school improvement, providing system-level visionary leadership in the development and implementation of a region-wide ecosystem of support to improve the academic success of students.
Williams brings more than 25 years of prekindergarten through 12th grade classroom and administrative leadership to the new role, most recently having served since 2018 as principal for Pine Ridge Elementary School in Bend. In her new role, she will partner with Shay Mikalson, HDESD’s chief student success officer, to facilitate the creation and implementation of an equity-centered, data-informed vision to improve student academic achievement in partnership with educators and community members.
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About High Desert Education Service District
HDESD is a publicly funded agency that partners with local school districts to provide high quality, cost-effective and locally responsive educational services at a regional level. These services range from special education programs, business, legal and administrative support to school improvement efforts. HDESD
