Board of Education Names Three Finalists for Education Director

The Wyoming State Board of Education announced its three finalists for the position of Director of the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), Saturday in Cheyenne.

The State Board of Education received 84 applications for the position of Director and on Friday and Saturday interviewed six semifinalists. The State Board of Education pared its list of candidates to three names which will go to Governor Matt Mead who will appoint the Director of the WDE prior to Dec. 1.

The three candidates include:

Tony Apostle – A retired Superintendent of Puyallup Public Schools in Puyallup, WA. Apostle oversaw a district with 21,000 students and a budget of $230 million. Apostle holds his Education Doctorate from Washington State University. He was also the Director of Administrative Services and Elementary Education for Puyallup Schools.

Richard Crandall –Crandall holds an MBA from Notre Dame and is the CEO and CFO of CN Resources and Crandall Corporate Dietitians in Mesa, AZ. He is a current State Senator in Arizona and the past chair of the Arizona Senate and House Education Committees. He is also a former member of the Mesa Schools Governing Board.

Norman Ridder - Ridder is the current Superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, MO. Ridder oversees an enrollment of 24,876 students and a budget of $273 million. He holds his Education Doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is the former Superintendent of the Colorado Springs School District 11, during which he oversaw a district with an enrollment of 31,000.

Governor Matt Mead expressed his appreciation to the Wyoming Board of Education members for their work in selecting the finalists for the Director of the Wyoming Department of Education.