Resumes for the two finalists for superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools detail their careers but not controversies that made headlines in their past jobs.
Christine Moloney is currently serving as the district’s interim superintendent. Christina Kishimoto, the other finalist, is a part-time professor and founder and CEO of Voice4Equity, an organization advocating for women and leaders of color. Either of the finalists would become the district’s first female superintendent.
Evergreen has been in search of a superintendent since John Boyd retired in June after two years in the job. In July, the district’s board members appointed Moloney as the interim superintendent to replace Boyd.
Under Moloney’s leadership, Evergreen passed both its levies Feb. 11. She’s responded to special education needs and systematic improvements, according to a biography cited in a district news release.
Moloney’s a lifetime Washington resident from Sunnyside. Before she moved to Vancouver, she was superintendent of the Chehalis School District for four years. The Chehalis district, with 3,000 students, is much smaller than Evergreen, which has almost 22,000 students.
Chehalis paid her $545,618 in the 2023-24 school year — the highest amount received by a superintendent in Washington that year, according to the state’s Fiscal Information database. She received $241,954 the previous year.
On June 18, 2024, Chehalis’ board unanimously agreed to accept Moloney’s resignation, approve a separation agreement and terminate her contract, according to the meeting’s minutes.
The separation agreement, obtained by The Columbian under the state’s Public Records Act, states that the district paid Moloney a one-time $350,000 severance payment.
“This amount is inclusive of any cashout of current benefits or compensation that have accrued as of the date of this agreement with this amount representing any and all sums that are owed to the superintendent for compensation,” the agreement states.
Her superintendent position was set to end June 30, 2026, according to a three-year contract signed in March 2023, according to the Daily Chronicle.
Moloney also has several years of experience as a principal, classroom teacher and district administrator in Puyallup and Bethel.
She’s earned a Fulbright-Hays scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education, President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from the City University of Seattle and Student Achievement Leadership Award from the state’s Association of School Administrators, according to her biography.
Moloney declined an interview with The Columbian.
The other candidate, Kishimoto, is from the South Bronx in New York City. She’s bilingual in Spanish and English. She also teaches courses on race, power and leadership at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, according to her biography.
Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, Kishimoto was the Hawaii State Department of Education superintendent from 2017 to 2021. At the start, she earned high marks from the Department of Education and early praise for visiting all 257 schools, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported in a May 2018 article.
The board hired her on a three-year contract with an annual salary of $240,000, which later was extended by a year, according to Honolulu’s Star Advertiser publication.
Education advocates said Kishimoto’s communication during the pandemic was confusing, and she made decisions without consulting the board, the Honolulu Civil Beat’s March 2021 article stated. Her resignation announcement came after the state education board was presented with concerns from the union.
Before the announcement, the Hawaii State Teachers Association board of directors advocated for the Hawaii Board of Education to not renew Kishimoto’s contract, according to a March 2021 news release from the Hawai’i State Teachers Association.
A June 2021 Honolulu Civil Beat article states that Kishimoto “would not seek renewal of her DOE contract amid criticism over her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Prior to working in Hawaii, Kishimoto served as superintendent of school districts in Connecticut and Arizona, where she received the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce Leon Uhlhorn Chairman’s, the Collins Bennett-Marcus Garvey Service to Community and the Maria C. Sanchez Education Leadership awards. Additionally, Kishimoto is a 2025 Pahara Fellow with the Pahara Institute, a national program identifying and supporting leaders who ensure that all children have access to public education, her biography states.
Kishimoto declined an interview with The Columbian.
According to the district’s website, Evergreen is seeking a superintendent who has “a proven track record of leading successfully in a complex and diverse district.”
The superintendent’s salary will be between $285,000 and $315,000 with a comprehensive benefit package to be negotiated with the school board, according to a district webpage.
The finalists will participate in a public meet-and-greet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the board room at the Administrative Service Center, 13413 N.E. LeRoy Haagen Memorial Drive. The community can ask the candidates questions and provide feedback to the board. Spanish and Russian interpreters will be available.
The final superintendent decision will be announced March 18, and the new superintendent will step into the position July 1.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the school district’s new timeline for a decision.
