Vancouver School Board names Camas superintendent Jeff Snell as next top administrator

Meg Wochnick, The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—The Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors unanimously voted Wednesday night to appoint Camas superintendent Jeff Snell as Vancouver Public Schools' next top administrator.

Pending contract negotiations, Snell begins superintendent duties of Clark County's second-largest district and ninth-largest statewide July 1.

Snell was chosen from a nationwide search that began in late 2020 and drew 34 applicants to replace outgoing superintendent Steve Webb. Snell spent the past 10 years in top-level district administration in the Camas School District, including serving as superintendent since 2016.

But Snell is no stranger to VPS. He spent the first 15 years of his career in the district as a secondary classroom teacher, associate principal and principal at McLoughlin Middle School and Fort Vancouver High School between 1996-2011. Twelve of those 15 years came at Fort Vancouver between teaching and building administration.

Two weeks ago, the school board narrowed its search to four finalists with Snell and Othello School District superintendent Kenneth (Chris) Hurst advancing to the top two. Both candidates had final in-person interviews with board directors during Wednesday's special meeting. Board directors reconvened after executive session and voted their unanimous decision for Snell.

Before the vote, each of the four board directors made comments about the six-month search process that led to the board choosing Snell. Board Director Wendy Smith said she and other board members felt lucky to have an "overwhelming abundance of riches" to choose from when it came to the candidates. While a difficult decision, she added the final decision was made easier based on the constant feedback given to the board.

"It helped us stay focused on what Vancouver needs," Smith said, "and what our community was looking for in the new superintendent."

Smith called Snell "the perfect fit" to lead VPS.

Said Board Director Tracie Barrows: "The community made it clear to us and aligned with the things that the qualities we're looking for ... strengths of all the candidates throughout this process I think we are very excited about the vision that Jeff has and the things that he will bring to us in our district and we're very excited about these next steps."

Snell holds a bachelor's degree from Boston University and a master's and doctorate from Washington State University. His wife, Suzie, is an elementary school counselor in VPS. The couple has three children — twins Mackenzie and Stephen are students at the University of Washington, and Micah is a fifth grader.