Education
Aspen Peaks School District announces key hires, launches boundary study
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Aspen Peaks School District announced a group of new hires on Wednesday, March 11 as they try to fill out the administrative positions needed to successfully run the new district.
The newly announced cabinet includes several key leadership roles designed to guide the district’s academic, operational and strategic direction. Doug Webb will serve as Associate Superintendent and Chief of Schools, while Eric Woodhouse has been named Associate Superintendent and Chief Learning Officer. Cami Harper will oversee human resources as Chief Talent Officer, and Dr. Rich Stowell will take on the role of Chief of Staff and Strategic Engagement.
Additional appointments include Kevin Henshaw as Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools, Brady Rowley as Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools and Kari Shirk as Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning. Paul Lewis will lead technology efforts as Executive Director of Technology, and Sam Rencher will serve as Executive Director of Elementary Schools and Curriculum.
At the March 12 board meeting, the board unanimously approved another significant hire. Bea Twede was appointed as the district’s Business Administrator. Twede, who is currently serving as Alpine School District’s Budget Director and Assistant Business Administrator, brings a strong background in both private industry and education finance.
Board member Diane Knight praised the selection, noting the importance of both technical expertise and public communication skills.
“We have hit another out-of-the-park home run with Bea Twede,” Knight said. “Everyone I spoke to holds Bea Twede in the highest regard. We wanted someone who was skilled at their job and could interface with the public and explain complicated finance issues. We have found all of that and more.”
Knight clarified that while the school board is responsible for hiring the superintendent and business administrator, the superintendent selects cabinet members. Cabinet candidates were interviewed and hired by Superintendent Joel Perkins.
Aspen Peaks board member Jeanne-Marie Burrows described the week as a pivotal moment in building the district’s leadership foundation.
“It’s been an incredible week,” Burrows said. “Our cabinet positions of the admin team were announced yesterday and at tonight’s board meeting we hired our first Business Administrator. These men and women are incredible. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have them help create Aspen Peaks School District.”
In addition to building out its leadership team, the Aspen Peaks Board of Education unanimously voted to launch a district-wide boundary study aimed at evaluating and potentially adjusting school boundaries to better reflect current community needs.
“This is an important step in making sure we start our district providing the best education for all of our students,” Burrows said.
Community members and board representatives emphasized that many existing school boundaries may no longer align with current population patterns.
“A lot of the schools in Aspen Peaks have been around for a long time and the community around the schools have changed a lot,” said Amber Bonner. “Do the boundaries make sense, or were they just added on as things are built?”
Information about the boundary study is available on the Aspen Peaks School District website, alpineschools.org/o/aspen-peaks-district/, under the heading Boundary Presentation.
