Mar 4

Written by: Sean Duke
3/4/2019 1:52 PM 

After 41 years in public education, Colleen Miller, WSSDA’s director of leadership development services will retire. Tricia Lubach has been appointed to assume the role beginning June 1.

This is the second time in her career that Miller has retired. During her 8 years at WSSDA, Miller was instrumental in laying the groundwork for major projects, such as the WSSDA Board Self-assessment, superintendent evaluations, and WSSDA OnBoard. 

“Working with school board directors and superintendents across Washington state has been rewarding personally and professionally,” said Miller. “I feel fortunate to have had this experience!”

Succeeding Miller is Tricia Lubach, WSSDA’s training specialist since 2014. Prior that, Lubach was part of WSSDA’s training cadre, completed Leadership WSSDA in 2013, and served on WSSDA’s Legislative Committee. She has served as a school director for Quincy School District for 14 years. Before that, Lubach spent more than 20 years in the communications field, leading a communications consulting practice for over a decade. In taking on the director’s role, Lubach will ensure a continued focus on high-quality services and further development of special projects to support the work of Washington’s 1,477 school board members.

“I am thrilled to continue the momentum Colleen and I have built for the leadership development branch during our years of working together,” Lubach said. “During my tenure, we have increased outreach to, and participation from, school directors across the state. Leadership WSSDA has enjoyed record participation, and we are focused on bringing more regional training and support to directors so they don’t have to live near Olympia to benefit. We have many important projects underway, including a multi-year development of curriculum for school directors called WSSDA OnBoard.” 

Miller began her career as an elementary school physical education teacher but gradually took on additional responsibilities until becoming an instructional coordinator. Once she reached that role, her immersion in teaching and learning grew ever deeper. Miller went on to become vice principal and then principal. In the end, she served in four schools over 20 years in the Beaverton School District until her first retirement.

In retirement, Miller spent her time volunteering in the North Beach School District leading professional learning communities. About two years after that, her second career began with WSSDA.

“I wish to thank Colleen for her years of service and for the legacy she leaves behind, a legacy that will only grow under her successor, Tricia Lubach,” said Tim Garchow, WSSDA’s executive director. “Tricia is a natural fit for this position, so I have complete confidence that our members will continue to receive the highest levels of leadership development support. And, we are all excited for the development of new tools and services that are just over the horizon.”

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