WALNUT, CA— The Walnut Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees has approved Dr. Dean Conklin as the new superintendent of the 14,600-student district.

Dr. Conklin was confirmed with a unanimous 5-0 vote during the December 15 Special Board Meeting.  He will officially begin duties on January 17, 2011, bringing 30 years of leadership and work experience in education.

Board members, school officials, and bargaining unit leaders conducted a validation visit at the Duarte Unified School District earlier that day.

“The entire Walnut Valley board believes that Dr. Conklin is the right person for the job. Our site visit today confirmed that, said Board President Cindy Ruiz. 

“I am very excited about the opportunity to come home and am very pleased that you have chosen me,” Dr. Conklin said to Board Members at the meeting. 

“Walnut Valley is known for a number of things – student achievement, excellence, innovation, and for leadership.  I came to Walnut Valley in 1994 and we talked about those things.  I would like to believe I was part of that culture during that time,” he said.

Dr. Conklin also successfully established those same attributes in Duarte Unified during the last five years as their superintendent.

“That’s because the pieces I learned here in Walnut Valley are deep-seeded pieces that I’ve carried with me,” Dr. Conklin added.

Dr. Conklin served as Superintendent of the Duarte Unified School District since 2006. Prior to that, he was the Deputy Superintendent in the Monrovia Unified School District.

Dr. Conklin spent over 12 years, from 1994-2006, in leadership positions in the Walnut Valley Unified School District, including Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Elementary Education, Administrative Director Educational Services, and Coordinator/Director of Pupil Services.

He has been an Adjunct Professor at Azusa Pacific University since 1990.  His experience also includes serving as a Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Director of Pupil Services in the Charter Oak Unified School District.

Dr. Conklin succeeds Interim Superintendent Charles McCully who took over as District leader in August 2010.