Brad Smith Appointed to Head State Schools
SALT LAKE CITY, UT– SEARCH Group Partners, a boutique recruiting firm headquartered in Utah, announced that one of its represented candidates, Brad Smith, was appointed by the Utah State Board of Education on October 10th as the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Smith replaces Martell Menlove, and is expected to start work in early November.
Smith was appointed superintendent of the Ogden City School District in 2011 after four years as a board member for the district. When he became superintendent, the district was the lowest performing district in Utah. Over the past three years, he has turned the district around out of the bottom ten percent. In the interview process, Smith stated, “I believe that education was poised for greatness, but also faced a real risk of relegation to perpetual mediocrity.” Smith is also a licensed attorney of almost 20 years.
“I’m excited to serve the state in this new capacity. Serving as Ogden’s superintendent has provided me with a great foundation,” said Smith. “I’m committed to meeting the needs of all Utah students and working toward a world-class education for them.”
SEARCH Group Partners initiated an extensive search process after Martell Menlove announced his retirement. Connie Linardakis, who spearheads SEARCH Group Partners’ Executive Search practice, led the entire search process which included through vetting, multiple rounds of screening and interviews and resulted in a diverse candidate pool. The four finalists included: Smith; Rich Crandall, former director of the Wyoming Department of Education; John Barge, Georgia’s State Superintendent; and Martin Bates, Granite School District superintendent.
“SEARCH Group Partners did a superior job throughout this search process. This was a tough decision for us, each of the four finalist candidates that were interviewed were extremely strong. In regards to Brad, we were all very impressed with his passion for student excellence and his solid track record,” says Jefferson Moss, State Board Member who chaired the Superintendent Search Committee. “We are confident that under his leadership, we will continue the significant progress the state has made on key student and education initiatives.”
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction directs the work of the Utah State Office of Education and assists the State Board of Education in oversight of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. The State Superintendent acts as the liaison to the Governor, State Legislature, and other stakeholders on behalf of the State Board of Education, oversees a staff of nearly 1,100 employees, and is responsible for the distribution of more than $3 billion to district and charter schools.
About SEARCH Group Partners
SEARCH Group Partners (SGP) is a premier boutique recruiting firm, with offices in Utah, Tennessee and New York– conducting searches on a nationwide basis. SGP provides professional talent acquisition and consulting services. The services SGP offers include temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement, consulting, executive search, on-site solutions, outsourcing, and talent development.
SGP’s customized searches and individual attention is dedicated to the following niches: Accounting & Finance, Office & Administrative, Technology, Health Care & Life Sciences, Supply Chain, Industrial, Real Estate, Marketing & Creative and Executive & Senior Management. SEARCH Group Partners is the proud winner of Inavero’s Best of Staffing® 2014 Client Satisfaction Award.
SEARCH Group Partners Contact
Connie Spyropoulos-Linardakis
Managing Director Executive Search
p. 801.407.5877
e. connie@searchgrouppartners.com
State of Utah Contact
Emilie Wheeler, Communications Specialist
p. 801.707.5877
e. emilie.wheeler@schools.utah.gov