5 candidates for charter school director job will get interviews

Five candidates will be offered an interview for a job leading the state’s public charter school system.

During a 45-minute virtual meeting Tuesday, the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority’s board voted unanimously to select the candidates they’d like to interview.

Patrick Carter, Jessica Hoban, Dennis Holmes, Melissa Mackedon and Sione Thompson will be invited to attend in-person interviews Oct. 13, which will take place during a public meeting.

“I think we’re in a good position here with qualified candidates,” board member Victor Salcido said.

After the interviews, the authority’s board will forward three candidates to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office for his consideration for appointment, board chair Tonia Holmes-Sutton said.

She said the authority initially received 16 applications for the position, but three withdrew from candidacy.

Rebecca Feiden resigned as executive director of the charter authority effective Sept. 8. She was appointed to the job in April 2019 by then-Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Five candidates to be considered

The five candidates who’ll be offered an interview are:

— Carter, who teaches cybersecurity and marketing at Nevada Virtual Charter School. He was a Nevada System of Higher Education regent from 2017 to 2022, including one year as board vice chair.

— Hoban, who is chief financial officer for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office. She was director of finance and operations for the charter authority from 2014 to 2017.

— Holmes, who retired in July as associate superintendent for instructional support of the Campbell County School District in Gillette, Wyoming.

— Mackedon, who is the CEO of Oasis Academy, a public charter school in Fallon. She served on the charter authority’s board for nearly 12 years, including four years as board chair, until June.

— Thompson, who is a high school principal in Oregon. She was executive director of the Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission from 2016 to 2020.

The new leader, who will be based either in Las Vegas or Carson City, will oversee about 80 campuses serving more than 60,000 students. A job announcement notes the annual salary is up to $124,671.

There was discussion during Tuesday’s meeting about the short notice for candidates and whether they’d be able to travel to Las Vegas for an in-person interview.

Jennifer Bauer, the charter authority’s interim executive director, said her only concern is that if a candidate cannot travel to Las Vegas, she wants to ensure they have equitable access to an interview.

The board decided to extend the invitation for in-person interviews, but consider a virtual interview if a candidate requests one because of logistical issues that would prevent them from traveling to Las Vegas.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on X.