Erguiagatabbed asstate’s topeducator

Fallon native Dale A.R. Erquiaga was appointed Tuesday as Superintendent of Public Instruction, effective Aug. 26, announced Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Erquiaga is a Fallon native and attended Churchill County schools. He first met the governor when Sandoval attended second grade at the former Northside Elementary School.

“Dale has extensive experience working with the state’s largest school district, the Department of Education, and the Legislature on education reform in Nevada,” Sandoval said. “I believe that as Nevada continues to reform the delivery of education, Dale is the right individual to lead the state forward. From his time as chief deputy Secretary of State to his time as senior adviser in my office, Dale has worked with stakeholders to research, develop and implement education policy throughout Nevada and I am confident he will continue to innovate and improve the delivery of education for our state’s children.”

Currently an interim CEO and strategic planner for clients in health care and arts and culture, Erquiaga served as senior adviser to the governor from 2010 to 2012. From 2009 through 2010, Erquiaga was executive director, Government Affairs, Public Policy & Strategic Planning for the Clark County School District where he was responsible for the development of the district’s strategic planning and legislative and local government relations. From 2006 to 2009, Erquiaga was the principal at Get Consensus, LLC, an independent consultancy with clients in five western states including the Nevada Association of School Superintendents and the Clark County School District.

“On behalf of the State Board of Education, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Dale Erquiaga,” State Board of Education President Elaine Wynn said.“It will be a great advantage to have someone with Dale’s life experiences to guide us as our next State Superintendent. He has a unique combination of deep-rooted Nevada heritage, policy-making skills, and diverse educational background. Above all he has a passionate commitment to lead us through this next challenging period of Common Core Standards, new tests, and our ambitious English Language Learner initiatives.”

A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Erquiaga holds a Master of Science in Leadership from Grand Canyon University. He served on the Clark County School District’s Superintendent’s Education Opportunity Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2010 and was a member of the Year-Round Schools Study Group in Clark County in 2007.