Megan McCarter, Ed.D., has been named the permanent chief academic officer of Northwest Regional Education Service District effective July 1. Megan has been working in this role on an interim basis since July of 2022 while also serving as the executive director of instructional services. 

Megan McCarter

As chief academic officer, Megan will oversee the three core instructional programs, which make up the majority of staffing in NWRESD. These include our early learning team, instructional services team and K-12 special education teams. 

“During her 1.5-year tenure with us, Megan has impressed me with her passion for equity and laser-like focus on student success,” says Superintendent Dan Goldman. Dan says Megan has embraced our efforts to grow as an anti-racist organization and has adopted liberatory design mindsets in her daily work. “She is the innovative leader — and champion for justice and student success — that I know we absolutely need in this role as we continue our efforts to close opportunities gaps for our students,” he says.

Megan has led our instructional services team during a time of immense growth for our organization. The program now has more than 60 staff who work on more than 10 program teams. These include attendance services, career and college readiness, English language learner consortium, Migrant Education Program, Northwest Outdoor Science School, professional learning, school safety and prevention and STEM hub. Our professional learning team includes 9th Grade Success, Diverse Educator Pathways, Early Literacy, Instructional Coaching, Regional Educator Network, School Culture and Climate and Social, Emotional, and Mental Health. 

Program changes during her tenure include shifting away from a punitive model for students who are chronically absent toward a family-focused and inclusive model for getting students back into the classroom. She has advanced our Integrated Guidance work with districts, ensuring every district in our region connects to ESD programming that will bolster their Student Investment Account plans. Most recently, she is partnering with Junior Achievement to bring financial and business experiences to elementary and middle school students. On the staffing side, she helped transition nearly 20 temporary outdoor school staff into regular positions with full benefits. Read more about Megan’s accomplishments.  

We will begin the hiring process for our next executive director of instructional services soon.