Board Appoints Deputy Superintendents for Instruction, Business

Two key leadership positions have been filled by San Diego Unified's Board of Education: Nellie Meyer will be Deputy Superintendent Academics and Phil Stover as Deputy Superintendent Business.

The appointments complete key pieces of new Superintendent Bill Kowba's team as each will lead significant portions of the district's operations.

"Stover and Meyer will provide dynamic and experienced leadership to their teams at San Diego Unified," said Kowba. "We're very fortunate to have them, especially with the significant challenges we face in the future."

Meyer has spent her educational career with San Diego Unified, most recently appointed an Area Superintendent, while continuing her role as Interim Deputy Superintendent for Academics. She has also served as Chief High School Improvement Officer, Assistant Superintendent for High Schools, Chief Elementary School Officer and Executive Director for the Dropout Prevention Program. She began her career in education in 1982 as a teacher's assistant, becoming a certificated teacher in 1989. She has also been a principal and vice principal, all in San Diego Unified. She is a doctoral candidate at San Diego State University.

Stover is currently Interim Chief Financial Officer with San Diego Unified, after being appointed Interim Chief Special Projects Officer in 2009. In 2000, he founded The Portolan Group, a consulting company that assisted school districts in improving their support services departments. He began working with San Diego Unified in 2006 as a consultant, working on a reorganization of Physical Plant Operations. He has also worked as a consultant for 25 school districts, including 10 of the nation's largest.

The Board made the appointments in a rare Saturday session on July 17.

"I know I speak for the Board when I say the pool of applicants was diverse and highly qualified," said Richard Barrera, Board President. "I know our two new Deputy Superintendents will work very well with Superintendent Kowba and help us move forward."

Each will supervise a key aspect of the district's mission and report directly to Superintendent Kowba. Deputy Superintendent Academics is the key instructional staff member who will oversee the new Area Superintendents structure that includes the implementation of new initiatives such as bringing University of California A-G requirements to all students, increasing the high school graduation rate, reducing absenteeism and improving performance on standardized tests. The Deputy Superintendent Academics will also lead the plan for individual student goals such as improving individualized instruction and challenging students to excel.

The Deputy Superintendent Business has responsibility for staff and functions ranging from school maintenance to food services to construction of new facilities. Goals set by the Board of Education and Superintendent
include effective multi-year planning, increased use of technology to become more efficient, and ensuring that our schools are safe, attractive neighborhood learning centers. Non-teaching services are key in creating a comfortable environment for learning and providing support needed to keep students safe.