Dave Campbell, retired superintendent of the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) and a leading voice on education policy in Michigan, will join the Education Team of Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) as an affiliated consultant.
Mr. Campbell, who has led KRESA since 2013, has announced his retirement effective June 30, 2022. Previously, he was superintendent of the Livingston Educational Service Agency and of the Olivet Community Schools. He was named Michigan Superintendent of the Year in 2010 by the Michigan Association of School Administrators.
“Dave Campbell has a long history of service to Michigan’s students and school community. He will add his expertise to PPA’s already strong education policy team,” said Dr. Daniel Quinn, PPA’s director for education policy. “I look forward to working with him as PPA advises our clients on some of society’s most pressing issues.”
Over the course of his 35-year educational career, Mr. Campbell has been a social studies teacher, Model UN Advisor, coach, dean of students/athletic director, high school principal, and school superintendent… and even a bus driver.
As the KRESA superintendent, he oversaw a staff of 700 people. Through a collaborative leadership style, he helped develop and implement the Agency Strategic Plan with his excellent leadership team who has established an active Continuous Improvement Plan in each department of KRESA. During his tenure, KRESA, along with its constituent districts and community partners, assumed leadership of the region’s Head Start program and developed an Early/Middle College for the nine school districts that are part of KRESA. His leadership was instrumental in securing both public and private financial support, as well as business partnerships to build a world-class Career and Technical Education (CTE) center and region-wide K-12 CTE programming.
“My leadership style is principle centered, collaborative, and facilitative. It’s a reflection of my temperament and who I am,” Mr. Campbell said. “My approach is to bring people with different perspectives together to solve problems and create better learning conditions for young people.”
PPA owner Virginia M. Orabone said PPA is excited to have Mr. Campbell joining the team. “We have seen a growing need for policy work in the education area. I am confident that Dave’s expertise will be of great help to address future issues,” she said.
As a PPA consultant, Mr. Campbell will be part of the PPA team working with Launch Michigan, a broad partnership of business, education, labor, philanthropy, civic leaders, and parents to develop bipartisan policies to improve public schools and outcomes for children.
“These are incredibly challenging times, and not just in education,” Mr. Campbell said. “I absolutely see there’s a need for consultants to enter and facilitate difficult conversations to help people work better together for young people in this divisive culture.”
Mr. Campbell has served on numerous educational boards and commissions, including the National Institute for School Leadership, the 21st Century Education Commission, the State Tenure Commission, and the Air Zoo.
Mr. Campbell has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Illinois State University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Mr. Campbell can be reached at dcampbell@publicpolicy.com.
See the press release.
For more information, contact Dr. Quinn at dquinn@publicpolicy.com or 202-854-8077.