Administrative Announcements for 2025-26

Below is a summary of all adjustments to principal, assistant principal and other administrative-level positions across the district to-date for the 2025-26 school year.

We will continue to update this post with any additional administrative changes throughout the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.

District Level

Ingrid Ceballos, Elementary Level Director

Originally from Los Angeles, Ingrid Ceballos has served as an educator for more than 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District before moving to Oregon in 2006.

Ingrid joined Salem-Keizer that same year as a bilingual teacher at Eyre Elementary and was hired as an instructional mentor at Richmond Elementary in 2016. In 2019, she joined the Four Corners community and served as their principal until 2022. Most recently, she has served as the principal at Waldo Middle School. Ingrid is passionate about creating systems that provide all students with the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

Andrew Kronser, Elementary Level Director

Andy Kronser, a longtime Salem area resident and graduate of Sprague High School, Western Oregon University, and the University of North Texas, brings over 18 years of experience in elementary education to his new role with Salem-Keizer Public Schools. He is currently completing his 11th year as a building principal and has spent the last four years leading Cummings Elementary, where he focused on strengthening school systems and cultivating strong community partnerships.

Prior to joining Salem-Keizer, Andy served as the Primary School Principal in the North Marion School District and coordinated the district’s Title III and Early Learning programs. He began his career in the Central School District as an elementary teacher, English Language Development Specialist, and later as an Elementary ELD instructional coach. In addition to his K–12 leadership, he has taught as an adjunct professor at Willamette University, Western Oregon University, and Oregon State University. Andy is excited to join the district’s administrative team and to broaden his role to the district level.

School Principals

Rebeca Méndez Alvarez, Incoming Principal at Hoover Elementary School

Rebeca Méndez Alvarez brings 20 years of educational experience and a strong commitment to student success. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Guadalajara and holds master’s degrees from both the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of Oregon.

In 2015, Rebeca joined Salem-Keizer Public Schools as a bilingual teacher at Richmond Elementary. Since then, she has taken on a variety of leadership roles, including district instructional mentor and assistant principal at Swegle, Eyre, and, most recently, Scott Elementary School. Rebeca is passionate about fostering a welcoming and inclusive school environment where all students, staff, and families feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to thrive.

Shamika Cleveland, Principal, Englewood Elementary 

Shamika, her husband and two young adult children are all proud alumni of the Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Shamika started her teaching career at McKinley Elementary, where she taught for eight years. In 2009, she began her ten-year journey as an instructional mentor. As the EDGE online program started up in the fall of 2020, Shamika joined its administrative team for a year.

The past four years, Shamika has simultaneously served as principal for Forest Ridge Elementary and Optimum Learning Environments Charter School. She is looking forward to learning and leading the important education of our future at another incredible Salem-Keizer school.

Cherice Cochrane, Incoming Principal at Waldo Middle School

Cherice Cochrane has been an elementary principal for the past eight years. She currently serves as the principal of Keizer Elementary School, where she helped launch their new Dual Language classes. Before that, Cherice served as the principal at Lamb Elementary School for five years.

Before becoming a principal, Cherice taught at Myers Elementary School in the Dual Language program. She holds her doctorate in education through the University of Oregon, and in her free time she enjoys exercising, watching movies and spending time with her husband Sean and their two dogs. Cherice is thrilled to join the Waldo Middle School team and is excited to begin building relationships throughout the community.

Artonya Gemmill, Incoming Principal on Special Assignment

Originally from Los Angeles, Artonya Gemmill has served as an educator for more than 27 years. Artonya began her career as an instructional assistant and later worked as a full-inclusion elementary teacher in California and McMinnville before becoming a high school EGC teacher in the Salem-Keizer. Since then, she has served in various roles across the district, including assistant principal at West Salem and South Salem High Schools, principal at Brush College and Clear Lake Elementary Schools, and principal at EDGE.

Most recently, she has served as the assistant principal at ECHS and Roberts at Chemeketa High School. Artonya is passionate about inclusive education, student advocacy, and building equitable systems that support every learner, particularly those with diverse learning needs. In her new role, she will lead work to improve and expand district-level support to students and families.

Clinton Gertenrich, Incoming Principal at Candalaria Elementary School

Clinton Gertenrich has devoted his entire educational career to Salem-Keizer Public Schools, serving in a wide range of roles including classified employee, teacher and administrator. He began his teaching journey at Houck Middle School and has since held leadership positions at several schools, including North Salem High School, Candalaria Elementary, Schirle Elementary and most recently at Sprague High School.

Clinton is a proud graduate of South Salem High School. This marks a homecoming for Clinton as he returns to Candalaria Elementary, where he previously served as principal for eight years. He is thrilled to rejoin the Candalaria community—Go Huskies!

Jason Gundlach, Incoming Principal at Keizer Elementary School

Jason Gundlach currently serves as the principal at Candalaria Elementary and previously worked at Stephens Middle School and Scott Elementary. He is known for building strong community connections, fostering shared leadership and creating systems where every student learns and thrives.

At Candelaria, this work led to exceptional academic growth and one of the highest sense of belonging scores in the district. Grounded in what’s best for student learning and well-being, Jason brings a deep belief in the mission of public education and the power of educators. He is excited to join the Keizer Colts and looks forward to partnering with students, staff and families to continue the great work already happening.

Kelsey Harris, Incoming Principal at Kennedy Elementary School

Kelsey Harris began her career in Salem-Keizer Public Schools 15 years ago as a classroom teacher at Morningside Elementary, later serving as a demonstration teacher at Chávez Elementary. She then spent the next eight years in various coaching and mentoring roles across the district, including positions as an instructional mentor and behavioral specialist. Through this work, Kelsey developed a strong passion for supporting students through effective, schoolwide MTSS frameworks.

Most recently, Kelsey served as the assistant principal at Swegle Elementary, where she led with strong core values, a collaborative spirit, and a positive, student-centered approach.

Hillary Hulseman, Principal, Cummings Elementary

Hillary Hulseman brings 15 years of vibrant experience in education, including 11 years as a middle and high school teacher and four years as principal of a 7–12 secondary school. Throughout her career, she has embraced a variety of leadership and extracurricular roles, including Yearbook and Senior Class Advisor, Concession Manager, Testing and Title I Coordinator, Activity Director, AVID and PBIS Team Leader, and Cognia Accreditation Team Lead. Hillary leads with a grace-forward approach—focusing on collaboration, compassion, and building strong, supportive relationships with students, staff, and families.

Her passion for creating inclusive, thriving school communities drives her every day. Hillary is excited to join the Salem-Keizer School District, where she looks forward to growing alongside the community and making a meaningful impact, both professionally and personally.

Jeannine Piscoran, Incoming Principal at Grant Community School

Jeannine Piscoran began her journey in education in Los Angeles, California, as an instructional assistant in a K-12 school dedicated to supporting students with emotional behavior disabilities. She taught primary grades for four years before moving to Oregon, where she continued her teaching career. Jeannine has worked with SKPS since 2008, serving in various capacities including teacher, instructional mentor and behavior specialist. She has led Brush College Elementary as principal for the past four years.

Jeannine deeply values our dual language programs, a passion rooted in her own experience of not having the opportunity for bilingual education while growing up. She firmly believes in fostering strong partnerships with educators and families to invest in students, empowering them to grow into their best selves.

Kara Vining, Incoming Principal at Wright Elementary School

Kara Vining has a deep love for service and a strong belief in the power of relationships. She began her career as a classroom teacher and then moved into a role in Curriculum and Instruction supporting literacy instruction and curriculum development. She also got to support educators across multiple schools in implementing strong, research-based instructional practices. Kara carries a strong commitment to academic excellence and to building learning environments where all students feel seen, valued, and capable.

Kara will be leading as principal at Wright Elementary School next year. Kara has most recently been serving as the assistant principal at Auburn Elementary School.

Kellie Ward, Incoming Principal at Eyre Elementary School

Kellie Ward has 16 years of experience in education, all within Salem-Keizer Public Schools. She started her career in 2009 as an elementary school teacher, and since that time has served in the roles of new teacher mentor, school counselor and behavior specialist. Most recently, she has held the assistant principal position at Eyre Elementary.

Kellie is passionate about building relationships within the community she serves, focusing on a sense of belonging for all students, staff, and families, and seeking solutions to barriers that can impact student success.

Bridget West, Incoming Principal at Brush College Elementary School

Bridget West has been a dedicated educator in the Salem-Keizer Public Schools for the entirety of her career. Beginning as a classroom teacher at Hallman Elementary, she has served in a variety of instructional and leadership roles, including instructional coach, assistant principal, and, most recently, principal of Hoover Elementary School.

With a deep commitment to equity, student growth and collaborative school culture, Bridget brings a wealth of experience and a strong passion for serving the Salem-Keizer community. She looks forward to continuing this work in her new role at Brush College, supporting students, staff and families with care and purpose.

Tiffany Wiencken, Incoming Principal at Forest Ridge Elementary School and Optimum Learning Environments Charter School

Tiffany Wiencken has joyfully held many roles in education over the past 20 years: a classroom teacher, instructional coach, principal, director of special education and English language learning and a tier 3 special education coordinator. She has been the principal of three schools in Oregon and is thrilled to be joining the Forest Ridge Elementary team as their principal.

She brings a love of innovation and creativity, a passion for supporting her staff to do their best work and building meaningful relationships with the entire school community.

Assistant Principals

Erica Anderson, Incoming Assistant Principal at Walker Middle School

Erica Anderson started her career as a middle school English language arts, math, and intervention teacher, then moved on to become an instructional coach and mentor. She spent time working at the state level to support school and district improvement.

Erica has been serving the students and staff of the Salem-Keizer community for ten years and her roles have included elementary assistant principal, federal programs coordinator, and the last five years as the assistant principal at Whiteaker Middle School. Erica is excited to be joining the administrative team at Walker.

Kristi Bosch, Incoming Assistant Principal at Sprague High School

Kristi Bosch is thrilled to join the Sprague admin team this fall. She began her career in Salem Keizer as a teacher for eight years before leaving and spending six years as an elementary principal and then assistant principal at Milwaukie High School in North Clackamas School District. She returned four years ago and has been working at North Salem High School serving the Viking community.

Kristi is passionate about students having a positive high school experience and creating conditions for staff to thrive in our schools. She is excited for all the new adventures ahead in her new role and looks forward to meeting the staff and families at Sprague.

Carrie Clancy, Assistant Principal, Harritt and Pringle Elementary

Carrie Clancy has been a dedicated member of the Salem-Keizer School District for 13 years, beginning her career as an ESOL teacher at Hallman Elementary before serving as an Instructional Mentor. Before entering the field of education, she worked with at-risk youth in the Portland metro area, a role that continues to inform her compassionate and student-centered approach. In 2022, she earned her administrative license from Portland State University.

Carrie is passionate about creating inclusive and empowering learning environments where every student feels valued, inspired, and supported. She is committed to building a collaborative school culture rooted in respect, equity, and lifelong learning.

Joana Guevara Cruz, Assistant Principal, Stephens Middle School

Joana Guevara Cruz’s personal and professional journey is deeply rooted in family, culture, and community. Joana grew up in a family that nurtured love, respect, and a strong value for education. She has been part of our Salem-Keizer community for a long time, as she attended Waldo Middle School and graduated from McKay High School.

With 19 years of experience that includes serving as an instructional assistant, teacher, ELL facilitator, and teacher on special assignment, Joana is a passionate and proud educator who fosters inclusive classrooms, supports multilingual learners, celebrates diversity and empowers students to achieve high standards.

Oscar Rodriguez Garcia, Assistant Principal, Eyre

Oscar Rodríguez García brings over 25 years of experience in education, with 11 years of teaching in Mexico and 14 years in the Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) district. He began his career as a middle school teacher in Mexico and later continued his journey in Salem, Oregon. In SKPS, he served at Hallman Elementary and Grant Community School for eleven years as a dedicated classroom teacher. Oscar has served as a Dual Language Program Associate in the Curriculum and Instruction Department. In this role, he focused on supporting bilingual programs and fostering culturally responsive teaching practices across the district. Oscar holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in education. His academic and professional background reflects a deep commitment to advancing equitable, high-quality education for all students.

He is dedicated to building strong partnerships with educators, families, and the community to ensure every student feels supported, valued, and empowered to succeed. He also champions professional growth opportunities for teachers, promoting collaboration and innovation to meet the diverse needs of all learners.

Erika Kerr, Assistant Principal, Lamb and Hayesville Elementary

Erika has been an educator in Salem-Keizer Public Schools for over 20 years. Her journey in education has taken her from the classrooms of Weddle and Sumpter Elementary Schools to roles as an Instructional Mentor and Foundational Skills Specialist. As an instructional leader, Erika is committed to setting high expectations and supporting the success of all students.

Dedicated to the Salem-Keizer community, Erika believes in the power of positive relationships—with students, families, and fellow educators—to create learning environments where everyone can thrive.

Craig King, Incoming Assistant Principal at Roberts High School

Craig King began his career with Salem-Keizer Public Schools in 2006 at Early College High School. He taught at both ECHS, and Roberts at Chemeketa Teen Parent Program for six years. After leaving ECHS and TPP, Craig served as an assistant principal at McKay High School, Judson Middle School, and Houck Middle School.

Craig is excited to return to his alternative education roots as an administrator. He is passionate about seeing all alternative education students succeed and looks forward to joining the team to support them in all their hard work and dedication to SKPS students.

Jim Miller, Incoming Assistant Principal at Sprague High School

Jim Miller has served his 24-year career with Salem-Keizer Public Schools through a wide range of roles. During this time, he has also served in the military for the past 29 years. Jim comes back to Salem-Keizer after a year-long deployment in Kosovo to rejoin Sprague High School as its athletic director.

Ruth Ochoa, Assistant Principal, Chavez and Yoshikai Elementary

Ruth’s journey with Salem-Keizer Public Schools began 12 years ago as a part-time bilingual assistant for Head Start. In 2017, she transitioned into a bilingual teaching role at Weddle Elementary, where she served for four years. In 2021, Ruth joined Grant Elementary as a dual language teacher, where she led initiatives to enhance dual language e education and took on leadership roles, including serving as the English Language Facilitator (ELF) and a member of the school’s leadership team. In 2024, Ruth earned her administrative license from the University of Oregon, further solidifying her commitment to educational leadership.

She has served as a summer lead for both Migrant and Title I programs. Ruth is dedicated and passionate about equity, rigorous instruction, and creating an engaging learning environment that keeps students at the center.

Irma Patton, Assistant Principal, Keizer Elementary

Irma Patton is a dedicated bilingual educator and administrator with over 25 years of experience in public education. She currently serves as Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Title Programs in the North Marion School District, where she leads initiatives focused on educational equity, family engagement, and support for multilingual learners. Throughout her career, Irma has held a variety of impactful roles, including English Learner Coordinator, New Teacher Mentor, Instructional Coach, and Kindergarten Teacher. She has also contributed to district leadership as a Cabinet Team and Strategic Planning Team member, while actively engaging in statewide equity and administrator networks. Her passion for education is rooted in her own lived experience as a migrant emergent bilingual student, which has shaped her dedication to ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have access to high-quality learning opportunities.

She holds an Administrator License from Concordia University, an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement from Western Oregon University, and a Master of Education from Portland State University. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she is devoted to fostering inclusive, student-centered school communities. Irma is honored and excited to join the Salem-Keizer School District and bring her experience and passion for educational leadership to this new role.

Tessie Riddell, Incoming Assistant Principal at Whiteaker Middle School

Tessie Riddell is excited to join Whiteaker Middle School as an assistant principal. She is a proud Keizerite and a graduate of Keizer schools. Additionally, Tessie spent seven years teaching at Claggett Creek Middle School and has most recently served as the assistant principal at Walker Middle School for the past three years.

Tessie is passionate about giving back and returning to the community that helped shape her. She looks forward to supporting students, staff and families in creating a positive, inclusive school environment.

Wendy Stradley, Incoming Assistant Principal at McKay High School

Wendy Stradley brings a deep commitment to student success in her return to McKay High School. For the past four years, she has served as the athletic director and assistant principal at West Salem High School. Before that, she held several roles at McKay High School, including teacher, behavior specialist and assistant principal.

Wendy is passionate about creating inclusive environments where all students feel seen, supported and empowered to find their paths to success. She looks forward to her return to McKay and is eager to reconnect with students, staff, families and the community.

Katie Such, Incoming Assistant Principal at Straub Middle School

Katie Such has been serving as an assistant principal at Stephens Middle School since January 2020. Prior to that, she taught math and the AVID elective at both the middle and high school levels, served as an AVID coordinator, a volleyball coach, and a behavior specialist at North Salem High School.

During her tenure at Stephens, Katie played a key role in leading the Bulldogs through AVID Demonstration School revalidations, helped significantly reduce behavior incidents, and contributed to transforming the school's narrative around safety. She looks forward to continuing her growth as an educational leader in her new assignment as assistant principal at Straub Middle School.

Jesse Sutter, Assistant Principal, Scott and Swegle Elementary

Jesse began his career with the district in 2004 as an instructional assistant, supporting students with special needs. In 2007, he transitioned to the classroom as a 5th-grade teacher at Chapman Hill Elementary and later joined the founding instructional team at Battle Creek Elementary. Over the years, Jesse has served in various roles, including beginning teacher mentor, behavior specialist, instructional mentor, and foundational skills specialist. His passion for education was sparked through his early work with youth in camps and recreation programs offered by the City of Salem Parks and Recreation.

These formative experiences highlighted for him the critical importance of caring, consistent adult relationships in the lives of young people. This understanding continues to fuel his commitment to teaching and educational leadership.

Josh Thorp, Incoming Assistant Principal at West Salem High School

Josh Thorp has worked in Salem-Keizer for 13 years. He was at Straub Middle School for seven years teaching math and AVID and then served three years as a behavior specialist. He then took on the role of the behavior assistant principal at West Salem High School for two years. This last school year, he worked as the athletic director at Sprague High School.