Atwater fills key K-12 Outreach position at UA

Dana Thomas, UA vice president of academic affairs, is pleased to announce Steve Atwater has been selected to lead the K-12 Outreach team as associate vice president. Atwater will start his position with UA on Dec. 1, 2014.

"I want to underscore that this is a very important leadership role at the UA System," said Thomas about the K-12 Outreach position. "Dr. Atwater's expertise and insights are of particular importance in light of our efforts at creating productive partnerships with Alaska's schools, as outlined in Shaping Alaska's Future."

Atwater has a strong understanding of the challenges faced by Alaska's schools. In speaking about his new position, he said, "After spending the past 25 years working in both rural and urban school districts, I am pleased to join the University of Alaska. The need to more tightly align the educational efforts of our state's K-12 districts with our university system is well established. I look forward to helping to meet this need in my new position."

Atwater joins UA after five years as superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, where he was named Alaska's 2013 Superintendent of the Year. Prior to his work for KPBSD, Atwater taught secondary education and served consecutively as head teacher, curriculum coordinator and superintendent for the Lake & Peninsula School District in King Salmon.

Atwater's experience with the Alaska education system extends to his own professional training, as he earned both his master's in education and his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

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