Meet the new principals, assistant principals of Eugene 4J, Springfield and Bethel schools

Miranda Cyr, Eugene Register-Guard

August 20, 2023 at 9:00 AM·14 min read

Students pass between classes at Kelly Middle School Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Eugene.

This story is reflective of administrative changes made by Aug. 18.

Eugene-Springfield metro school districts are bringing 35 principals and assistant principals into new roles for the 2023-24 school year.

Eugene School District 4J and Springfield Public Schools each have 15 new school-level administrators, while Bethel has five.

North Eugene High, South Eugene High, Hamlin Middle and Willamette High schools will see the most changes, with two new administrators each.

Classes begin shortly for the more than 30,000 students the three metro districts serve:

Eugene School District 4J's first day of school for kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade is Wednesday, Sept. 6. For all other grades, classes begin Thursday, Sept. 7.
Springfield Public Schools' first day of school is Wednesday, Sept. 6, for sixth grade, ninth grade, grades 1-5 and half of kindergarten. The first day is Thursday, Sept. 7, for the other half of kindergarten and all other grade levels.
Bethel School District's first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 5, for grades K-8. Sept. 5 is also ninth grade orientation. For grades 9-12, the first day is Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Here are the new school administrators for the 2023-24 school year.

These biographies were submitted to the Register-Guard by the districts and have been edited for length and clarity. They are organized by district, then grade level, then alphabetically by school.

New 4J leadership

Of Eugene School District 4J's new school-level administrators, eight are coming to 4J from another district and seven are moving to a new role within the district for the 2023-24 school year. But only five of them are completely new to 4J.

Elementary schools

Poppy Campbell is the new principal of Charlemagne French Immersion School for the 2023-24 school year.

Charlemagne French Immersion School − Principal “Poppy” Campbell served as assistant principal at 4J's Spencer Butte Middle School for the past two years. She previously taught elementary and middle school students in Bethel School District following her first teaching job at 4J’s Howard Elementary School. Campbell was raised in a dual-language household speaking German and English, and she has also studied French, Italian and Spanish. She believes that a multilingual experience as a young person helps promote brain development and provides wonderful opportunities for students to be contributing members of vibrant and culturally diverse communities.

Kevin Gordon is the new principal of Chavez Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year.

Chávez Elementary School − Principal Kevin Gordon is returning to 4J after spending two years as principal of Laurel Elementary School in Junction City. Before that, he spent a combined seven years as principal at 4J's Camas Ridge and Adams elementary schools. He previously taught at Laurel Elementary and at 4J’s now-shuttered Parker Elementary School for a total of 13 years. As an administrator, Kevin is committed to doing what is best for students, staff and families.

Nadira Rizkallah is the new principal of Edgewood Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year.

Edgewood Elementary School − Principal Nadira Rizkallah has nearly 20 years of experience as an educator and administrator. She was human resources and equity director for South Lane School District in Cottage Grove for two years, having been promoted after serving as principal at Laurel Elementary and Oaklea Middle in Junction City for seven years. Earlier in her career, she served as co-administrator of 4J’s River Road/El Camino del Río and Buena Vista Spanish Immersion elementary schools, and taught second, third and fourth grades. As an administrator, she has a vision for equity, and will bring her instructional knowledge and experience to Edgewood.

Gilham Elementary School − Assistant principal Tom Piowaty transitions to 4J’s largest elementary school after serving as principal at 4J's Yujin Gakuen since 2012. He has more than 30 years of educational career experience. Before Yujin Gakuen, he served as director of student services for Central Linn School District and principal at Central Linn Elementary. Piowaty and Gilham principal Lavinia Page worked together at YG, and they look forward to doing so again.

Charlie Jett is the new principal of Howard Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year.

Howard Elementary School − Principal Charlie Jett was dubbed Oregon’s Elementary Principal of the Year in 2022 after six years as principal of Springfield's Two Rivers-Dos Rios Elementary School. Previously, he served as assistant principal at 4J’s Kelly Middle School from 2013-2016. Jett is committed to building relationships, supporting students and staff, and cultivating a school community of shared ownership. He will draw on his experience with diverse populations in his new role.

Kimberly Ingram is the new principal of Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School for the 2023-24 school year.

Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School − Principal Kimberly Ingram comes to 4J from Salem-Keizer Public Schools, where she was an elementary-level administrator with 20 years of experience. For the past two years, she was principal at Battle Creek Elementary, and was assistant principal before that. Previously, Ingram, who earned a doctorate in special education from the University of Oregon, served as an elementary curriculum coordinator for that district. She'll bring her communication skills, deep knowledge of effective instructional practices, and extensive educational experience to YG.

Middle schools

Laura Clark is the new principal of Kenney Middle School for the 2023-24 school year.

Kennedy Middle School − Principal Laura Clark is a seasoned secondary educator with 15 years of experience. She was assistant principal at 4J's Churchill High School for the past year and at Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove for the previous three years. Before becoming an administrator, Clark taught math at Lincoln Middle School, math and science at three 4J middle schools, including Kennedy, and, before that, she was a secondary math and SPED teacher in Medford School District. Clark has the knowledge, experience and desire to support staff, students and the community, and she looks forward to returning to the middle school level and to Kennedy.

Justin Corey is the new principal of Madison Middle School for the 2023-24 school year.

Madison Middle School − Principal Justin Corey is an experienced educator and secondary administrator, transitioning to 4J from his role as associate principal at Junction City High School for the past two years. Before being promoted, he was an administrator at Oaklea Middle School in Junction City, working for three years as principal and five as assistant principal. He also has 15 years of in-classroom experience. His goal is to create a positive, safe and enjoyable learning environment to shape early learners into lifelong learners.

Megan Russell is the new assistant principal of Monroe Middle School for the 2023-24 school year.

Monroe Middle School − Assistant principal Megan Russell has been the assistant principal at 4J's Gilham Elementary School for the past two years. Prior to Gilham, she was a middle school language arts, math and AVID elective teacher and served on the middle school leadership and behavioral support teams for six years in Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Her experience at the middle school level, desire to help all students succeed, positive attitude and creative problem-solving skills will be brought to her new role at Monroe.

Carlos Sequeira is the new assistant principal of Spencer Butte Middle School for the 2023-24 school year.

Spencer Butte Middle School − Assistant principal Carlos Sequeira comes to 4J from the Lane Education Service District, where he served as the assistant superintendent for the past seven years. Previously, he served as director of district collaboration at Bethel and principal at Sherwood High School in Tualatin. Sequeira is a native Spanish speaker who earned his doctorate in educational leadership from UO. He started his education career nearly 30 years ago as a high school French teacher. He aims to advance equitable systems that acknowledge, support, nurture and grow the talent, resilience and genius of students.

High schools

Nain Muñoz is the new principal of North Eugene High School for the 2023-24 school year.

North Eugene High School − Principal Nain Muñoz has served as assistant principal and principal at South Albany High School and principal at Clackamas High School. He also previously worked as the community schools coordinator in the Redmond School District and started his career in education as a high school English teacher. Through his leadership roles in education and nonprofit organizations, Muñoz has significant experience developing relationships and encouraging leadership. He believes his bilingual and bicultural perspective gives him the insights needed to build capacity within a diverse population.

Peter Barsotti is the new athletic director and assistant principal of North Eugene High School for the 2023-24 school year.

North Eugene High School − Athletic director and assistant principal Peter Barsotti had been the principal at 4J's Madison Middle School for the past six years. Before that, Barsotti was with Fern Ridge School District, where he served in various administrative roles, including middle school principal and dean of students. He began his education career at an after-school mentoring program for inner-city youth and has taught math and coached boys’ soccer and girls’ tennis. Barsotti is passionate about school climate and ensuring that every student, parent, staff member and community member feels safe, welcome and appreciated.

Mike Ingman is the new principal of Sheldon High School for the 2023-24 school year.

Sheldon High School − Principal Mike Ingman will be returning to Sheldon High School after serving in the 4J district office as human resources administrator for the past year. Ingman has more than two decades of experience as an educator, including time as a high school teacher and football coach. He served as a principal and assistant principal for 12 years in the Albany and South Lane school districts before leading Sheldon during his first administrative stint there from 2019-2022.

Kee Zublin is the new principal of South Eugene High School for the 2023-24 school year.

South Eugene High School − Principal Kee Zublin has nearly two decades of experience in education and leadership roles. Since 2018, Zublin has served as director of secondary teaching and learning in Bethel. Prior to that, he was principal at Bethel’s Willamette and Kalaypuya high schools. He started his education career as a high school math and English teacher. Zublin is committed to creating a supportive learning environment that emphasizes rigorous and relevant education for all students, with an amplified focus on students from historically underserved communities.

Jim Moore is the new athletic director and assistant principal of South Eugene High School for the 2023-24 school year.

South Eugene High School − Athletic director and assistant principal Jim Moore was principal at 4J's Edgewood Elementary School for the past seven years, and previously served as assistant principal at Thurston Middle School in Springfield. He started his teaching career in 2004 at Sunset High School in Beaverton. Moore values creating and sustaining a school community dedicated to equity, academic rigor and the creation of lifelong learners.

Admins moving up at Springfield

Springfield Public Schools will welcome five new school administrators to the district for the 2023-24 school year. Ten other administrators are moving to a new role within the district, three of whom are moving up from assistant principal to principal in their respective schools.