School districts hire staff

In the past few months, several new administrators have been hired at the Camas and Washougal School Districts.

These include Charlene Williams, who will join the Camas district in the newly created assistant superintendent of educational services position; and Jasen McEathron, director of business services.

He is replacing Donna Gregg, who will retire this month.

Williams comes to Camas from Portland Public Schools, where she held positions including senior director of school performance, principal/small school administrator and director of education.

According to a press release from the district, Williams played a key role in a $482 million capital bond program and was the district leader for teacher evaluations.

Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in math from North Carolina State University, a Master of Education from Wake Forest University, and an Education Leadership Doctorate from Lewis and Clark College.

“Charlene’s experiences in district leadership and educational services will serve Camas well and her work in Portland Public Schools will bring a unique perspective to our district,” said Jeff Snell, incoming superintendent. “We are extremely pleased that we could attract and hire Charlene for this important position.”

McEathron is currently the auditor/manager of finance and administration at Public Utility District No. 1 in Skamania County, where he supported a capital bond, information technology, and energy conservation programs.

Previously, he worked for 10 years as the audit manager for the Washington State Auditor’s Office. McEathron earned a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Western Washington University.

“We’re excited to welcome Jasen to Camas,” Snell said. “It was not only his business knowledge that impressed the team, but also his previous experiences as an auditor.”

He continued, “Jasen’s experiences and education have developed into a skill set that allows him to examine every angle of the budget. He completes a very strong district team.”

New Washougal administrators include Renae Burson, who will serve as principal at Gause Elementary, succeeding the retiring Rex Larsen. Tracey MacLachlan will be planning principal at Columbia River Gorge Elementary, the district’s new school, set to open in 2018.

Burson has been in the education field for 22 years, including time spent teaching kindergarten through eighth-grade, as well as serving as an instructional coach, trainer, college math project instructor and principal, all in California schools.

She has a B.A. degree in microbiology from the University of California, and teaching credentials from Sonoma State University, where she also earned a Master of Science in applied school leadership.

“Being an elementary principal has been the most rewarding job I’ve held,” Burson said. “I love getting to know the students, families and staff. I know that we make a difference in kids’ lives every day and that is an amazing feat.”

She continued, “My goal is to learn more about the school in order to serve teachers so that we can provide the best educational program for students.”

MacLachlan has been in the education field for more than 30 years as a teacher, early childhood educator and principal. She is currently principal at Union Ridge Elementary School in Ridgefield.

She has a bachelor’s degree in teaching from San Jose State University and a master of arts in cross-cultural teaching from National University.

“I am so excited about my new adventure in Washougal as the principal of the new Columbia River Gorge Elementary,” she said. “It is not often that a principal gets to plan, build and staff a new school. This is an awesome opportunity.”

MacLachlan continued, “My goal for this first year will be to work among the Washougal team to transform the beautiful scenic area into an educational environment that supports the students of Washougal.”