Gardea to lead HR

Prospect Point Principal named Executive Director of Human Resources

School Board members unanimously approved the appointment of Prospect Point Elementary Principal Chris Gardea as the district’s new Executive Director of Human Resources. Gardea replaces Assistant Superintendent Laure Quaresma who now heads the district’s Teaching and Learning Department. Superintendent Dr. Bill Jordan is developing a transition plan for Gardea to assume his new duties. He also said the district will soon post the position announcement for a new Prospect Point principal. The new Prospect Point principal will assume the duties July 1.

“Chris Gardea has the skills, experience and professionalism to lead our Human Resources Department,” said Superintendent Dr. Bill Jordan. “He has demonstrated in all his assignments a profound care for people, a vision for the future and the ability to establish systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

This fall, Gardea was named Distinguished Elementary Principal for the Lake Wallula Region for 2014. He has been Principal at Prospect Point since 2008. During his time as principal of Prospect Point Elementary the school has earned the Center of Educational Effectiveness School of Distinction award two times, as well as being a Washington Achievement Award Winner in the area of Science.  Gardea served as Assistant Principal at Prospect Point from 2004-2007. He was Walla Walla Public Schools Director of Mathematics during the 2003-2004 school year. Gardea is technology savvy and is an expert with Google for Education computer applications.

Gardea spent three years as a classroom mathematics teacher at Pioneer Middle School. He served as an Administrative Intern at Pioneer Middle School from 2001 to 2002. Gardea held classroom teaching positions in Waitsburg School District from 1998 to 2000 and College Place School District from 1997 to 1998.

He holds a Continuing Principal Certificate. He earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from Eastern Washington University (EWU) and also completed his undergraduate studies at EWU. Gardea is a member of the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

“I want to thank the staff, students and parents at Prospect Point for all their support over the past seven years,” Gardea said. “I’m excited for this opportunity to support students and their learning across an entire school system.”