Three rural superintendents, one East Valley administrator selected as finalists to lead school district

After some six months since the search began, the East Valley School District board Thursday selected four finalists for the soon-to-be open superintendent position in the school district.

Current superintendent Brian Talbott announced in August that he intends to leave his job at the end of this school year. He’s worked in public education for 33 years and led East Valley since 2019.

Talbott intends to work in an education-adjacent position in the private sector, but declined to share specifics about his next job. He and his wife will continue living in East Valley School District, he said in September.

The crop of hopefuls for his job includes three school superintendents from around Washington and one current East Valley administrator. Finalists are Nespelem School District Superintendent Effie Dean, Elma School District Superintendent Chris Nesmith, East Valley Administrator Mat Orndorff and Chewelah School District Superintendent Jason Perrins.

Talbott said some candidates reached out to him before they applied, asking what his hopes are for his replacement.

“First and foremost, I hope my successor loves and cares deeply for all of East Valley. Secondly, I hope the next leader continues the positive trajectory made possible by the commitment and buy-in of our students, staff, families and community,” he said. “East Valley is special because it is absolutely filled with amazing and special people.”

The district is working with Northwest Leadership Associates to recruit its new captain. East Valley School Board member Mike Bly said it’s the same group the district consulted when the board hired Talbott in 2019.

Bly said he is hoping for someone who “has appreciation for the deep roots within East Valley, but also is mindful of the future and where we want to go.”

In the hiring process, the school board has had an hour-long interview with each finalist. The board also held public meetings and solicited input via survey from community members about what they had in mind for their school leader. Bly said respondents’ priorities were consistent leadership, a good cultural fit for the community and being student-oriented.

The four finalists will undergo more interviewing, the district setting up days of meetings with staff and students with each. The board will select the new superintendent at the end of the month, as soon as Jan. 28.

“We feel all four that we’ve selected for the final interviews are extremely viable candidates,” Bly said. “They all represent what we believe East Valley needs for good fit, and we’re excited to see how this final set of interviews goes.”

Below are the final four candidates for East Valley Superintendent.

Effie Dean

Dean touts more than 25 years working in public education, largely in small, rural districts. Outside of a stint as a contractor and substitute in Mead and Spokane Public Schools, the highest-enrolled district Dean has worked in was as a school psychologist intern and grant administrator at Deer Park School District, currently enrolling fewer than 2,800 students. East Valley has an enrollment of fewer than 3,600.

Since 2020, Dean has been the superintendent at Nespelem School District, a small town in Okanogan County on the Colville Reservation. The district includes three schools with a total fewer than 200 students enrolled.

Before that, she was the assistant superintendent of Royal School District from 2018 to 2020. She’s also worked in special education administration at Reardan-Edwall and Davenport school districts.

“Her career has been rooted in small, rural school districts across Eastern Washington, including Reardan and Davenport, where she has developed a deep understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges facing rural communities,” her cover letter reads.

Chris Nesmith

The East Valley position drew the eye of the Elma School District superintendent. Nesmith has held that role since 2021, overseeing a student population of over 1,600 at four schools and two alternative schools. There, he developed a new strategic plan for the district, focusing on “early learning, mastery learning, career and college readiness, and student belonging.”

Prior to that, Nesmith was an administrator at West Valley Schools in Yakima, which enrolls around 5,500 students. He worked on a successful bond proposal from the district, which passed in 2019 and paid for the replacement of two elementary schools, according to his resume.

East Valley has a similar endeavor underway, putting forth to voters a $220 million bond to pay for the replacement of their middle and high schools.

“Dr. Nesmith’s approach is collaborative and transparent; he listens deeply, builds trust through action, and helps communities see their own strengths reflected in their success,” his cover letter reads.

Mat Orndorff

Among the bunch, Orndorff is the only finalist from East Valley. He’s currently the executive director of secondary schools in the district, a role he’s had since 2024.

His career in education began as a coach and teacher in California and eventually led him to Spokane in 2010, where he worked at Lewis and Clark High School as an English teacher and head wrestling coach. In 2016, he became a principal’s assistant at the school, and eventually made his way to the Valley. He was the principal of East Valley Middle School from 2018-2024 before the promotion to work in the district office.

In his current role, Orndorff has overseen the adoption of curriculum materials and the district’s implementation of a teacher training initiative where teachers from the same subject and grade area collaborate and compare course work.

Orndorff describes himself as “achievement driven” and “belonging centered” with “proven leadership.”

He is “passionate about ensuring high levels of learning for ALL students through rigorous educational opportunities, data driven systems, and collective efficacy,” according to his resume.

Jason Perrins

Perrins’ career spans perhaps the furthest geographical distance among the finalists, though he applied from his current position as Chewelah School District superintendent. Perrins has led the district of fewer than 800 kids since 2021.

Before that, Perrins worked as a principal at several secondary schools from 2004 to 2021, including at Prairie High School in Vancouver, a private K-12 school in Colombia and a high school in Oregon’s MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility.

Perrins was raised in Mead and graduated from Mead High School, according to his resume. He has “deep roots” in the area, his father born and raised in Deer Park after his grandparents moved there during the great depression.

“Throughout my career, I have directed a wide range of educational initiatives,” his resume reads. “Each of these experiences has helped shape my leadership and has prepared me to serve the East Valley community with care, focus and resilience.”