Belmont-Redwood Shores board begins expedited superintendent search, hires Human Capital Enterprises

The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District board on June 11 launched an expedited search for its next superintendent, engaging consultant firm Human Capital Enterprises to run an outreach, screening and finalist process.

Kathleen Roden Nord, an HCE consultant, told trustees HCE has already conducted multiple focus groups and trustee interviews and will open an application portal and conduct preliminary interviews with roughly six to eight candidates before presenting a slate to the board. "We are moving simultaneously through the planning and engagement work," she said.

Consultants presented two draft timelines: an expedited track concluding by early September and a longer track into mid-October. Trustees generally favored the expedited timeline with modest spacing to avoid first-week-of-school conflicts, and asked HCE to circulate specific dates for trustees to confirm. HCE recommended a 3½-week recruiting window and said it would intensify outreach during that period.

The board and consultants emphasized confidentiality. HCE said candidate names will remain private until the district approves a hire and that board review of applicant materials will occur in closed session. Trustees confirmed any internal candidate would be held to the same standard and process as external candidates.

Next steps include finalizing the calendar, launching the public application portal, circulating the survey and completing scheduled focus groups. Consultants said trustees should plan to set aside 8–12 hours to review materials when the slate of candidates is presented.