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NW ESD 189

Three New Members Join Board of Directors

The NWESD 189 welcomes three new members to its board of directors in Regions 2, 5, and 8. Welcome Jack, Alan and Darrol!

Jack Thompson – District 2

As an educator and administrator for fifty years, education issues are not new to Dr. Jack Thompson. He began his career as a teacher in the Renton School District from 1959 – 1971 and then served in various administrative positions within the district until 1986 when he became superintendent for the Ferndale School District.

During Thompson’s career he has served as an assistant professor in Educational Leadership for Seattle University and has assisted various school districts in administrative roles, including Oak Harbor and Steilacoom School Districts.  From 1998-2000 Thompson led the Snohomish School District as superintendent of schools.  He has also provided leadership for school district management reviews in various districts throughout Washington state and was a school improvement consultant for the Northwest Educational Service District 189 for five years.

“I am very interested in doing all that I can to help improve student achievement for all students and ensuring full funding for our school districts,” Thompson reported.

Thompson’s community involvement includes serving as a board member of the following organizations: Rotary International, Salvation Army, Mount Baker Kidney Center, and St. Luke's Foundation.  He has also served as a county chairman for United Way. 

Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree at Western Washington University, his master’s degree from Stanford University and his doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Washington.  He is a National Science Foundation Fellow in economics and a Fulbright Fellow, representing the United States in India as a trainer of teachers and school principals.  During his career, Thompson has received numerous awards including Washington Association of School Administrators Leadership Award, Washington State Journalism Teachers Association Administrator of the Year, Washington State Vocational Education Association Administrator of the Year and Western Washington University’s Award of Professional Excellence.

Alan Erickson – District 5

Dr. Alan Erickson is not an educator by profession, but he was surrounded by a family of educators. His father was a teacher, school board member, and longtime board member for the Northwest ESD 189; both grandfathers were school principals and numerous aunts and uncles were teachers.  

“Teachers, schools and districts must be given the support and encouragement required to accomplish their mission effectively,” Erickson explained. “My desire as a board member is to help maintain and enhance the level of service to our ESD clients. As I watch my two young children in Everett Public Schools, I personally feel a sense of urgency to do all I can to preserve the quality of education in our schools, especially in this era of severe budget cuts.”

Erickson brings a level of “professional diversity” to the NWESD 189 Board of Directors.  He graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in science in 1984.  He then worked as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, including many years on a crabbing boat in the Bering Sea.  In 1996 he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in dentistry and went on to purchase his uncle’s dental practice in Arlington where he currently practices.

Darrol Haug – District 8

As a retired telecommunications executive, Darrol Haug brings over 35 years of business management, marketing and sales experience to the board.  He is a very active community volunteer in the Edmonds School District.  Through his extensive involvement as a middle school math tutor, Haug realized students who were struggling in middle school math had not mastered the “basics”— multiplication and division.  In an effort to help parents help their child with basic math, Haug created materials that are now posted on the Edmonds School District website. Haug continues to participate in a variety of school district committees, has assisted with the district’s latest technology levy, and serves as a math tutor in the Edmonds School District.
 
In addition to his dedicated service to the Edmonds School District, Haug volunteers on the City of Edmonds Citizens Technology Advisory Committee, City of Edmonds task forces for future development and community outreach, and has served on the board of his local homeowner’s association for 34 years.

“Education is doing a lot of things very well across the state, but sometimes it lacks a sense of urgency -- wanting to study and assess programs much longer than needed.  There are a lot of best practices programs that we know are working and can be implemented in a very short time.  We need to move quickly for our students,” explains Haug. “My vision for the Northwest ESD is to continue centralizing certain functions that help each school district operate in an efficient manner and work with the other ESDs in our state to coordinate services that provide a wider scope of activity without spending more resources.  I bring a citizen and taxpayer perspective to the board since my career was not in education. ESDs serve a very vital function in the education process and I am excited to look at creative ways to continue to help schools serve student needs in the most efficient ways.”

Haug graduated cum laude from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Production Management in 1965 and was a drum major for the University of Washington band for four years.