The Wallowa School Board interviewed three finalists for its superintendent job on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, and all three candidates participated in separate community forums on Friday as well.

WALLOWA — The Wallowa School Board has named three finalists to serve as the next superintendent for the Wallowa School District.

In a press release on Monday, Jan. 29, the district identified the three finalists as:

• Thomas Brandt, who has served as an executive principal with the Dallas (Texas) School District since June 2023. Before that, he served as a school principal in the Dallas school district, dating back to 2014. Brandt is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas, and earned his master’s degree in education administration from the University of North Texas and his bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Moorhead State University.

• Stacy Knudson, the superintendent and director of the Eddyville Charter School in the Lincoln County (Oregon) School District. She has served in that position since 2018. Before that, she was a teacher and coach at Eddyville Charter School. Knudson has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in education, both from Oregon State University. She earned her administrative credentials at the University of Oregon.

• Melissa Skinner, the executive director of leadership at the Ector County School District in Texas. Before that, she was the deputy superintendent at the Cleveland School District in Texas. She holds a doctorate in education from Northcentral University in California, a master’s degree in administration/supervision from Southeastern Louisiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary and middle education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana.

The school board will begin background and reference checks for the finalists over the next week.

Each finalist will be invited for a “day in the district” on Friday, Feb. 2. At that time, staff and community members can meet the candidates.

The 35-minute community forums with each candidate are scheduled for 1:05, 1:40 and 2:15 p.m. on Friday at the school; it was not clear on Monday which candidate would be featured at which time.

Comment cards will be provided for participants to share thoughts with the school board after the event.

The school board is scheduled to hold final interviews with each of the candidates on Friday morning and is scheduled to meet for deliberations beginning at 2:50 p.m. Friday.

Jennifer Johnson is currently serving as the interim superintendent for the Wallowa School District. She followed Tamera Jones, who retired in 2023.