The La Habra City School District has announced its next superintendent.
Dr. Joanne Culverhouse, currently an assistant superintendent with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, was appointed by La Habra’s Board of Education on Jan. 12 following an extensive search led by the firm Leadership Associates. Her start date is Feb. 1.
Culverhouse was an elementary school teacher, a coach and a principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels before becoming assistant superintendent of education services in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. She has since become that district’s assistant superintendent of human resources.
“Dr. Culverhouse is an exceptional candidate who also seems a perfect fit for our community,” LHCSD school board President Ofelia Hanson said. “She has received accolades from teachers, staff and parents in her home district and shares the LHCSD’s commitment to excellence. She is committed to supporting each child to reach their highest potential.”
District officials say Culverhouse places an emphasis on relationship-building and prioritizes clear and authentic communication — qualities that make her well-suited for the La Habra City School District, which oversees nine schools serving about 5,000 students. (To learn more about La Habra, watch this OC District Pulse video.)
“Dr. Culverhouse uses a systems approach to problem solving,” the district said in a news release. “She engages central office staff, teachers, and parents in a collaborative decision-making process that leads to broadly supported and well-articulated short term and long range plans for continued success.”
Culverhouse holds a doctorate from UCLA, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and administration from the University of Nevada, Reno.