"Community input and feedback was a critical component in selecting our next leader, and we are thrilled that Mr. Giles embodies many of the leadership traits and competencies that our community identified as priorities."
Debbie Gerkin, Board President
Mr. Michael Giles, Jr. was unanimously selected by the Aurora Public Schools (APS) Board of Education as the District’s next Superintendent. Mr. Giles will officially begin his new role on July 1, where he will serve nearly 40,000 students.
Mr. Michael Giles currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement in Cherry Creek School District, where he has also held the position of Assistant Superintendent of Performance Improvement. Additionally, the new superintendent has held roles in his current district as school counselor, dean of students, assistant principal, principal, and Executive Director.*
The Aurora Public Schools hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to facilitate the search that resulted in the hiring of Mr. Giles. The HYA team hosted nearly thirty engagement sessions in many different languages across the school district, gathering input from community, students, staff, parents, and community members giving stakeholders the opportunity to be involved and be heard. In addition to highlighting the many strengths of Aurora Public Schools, they identified the challenges that were important considerations in the search for the district’s new leader. Board President Debbie Gerkin gave sincere thanks to the school community for their dedication and engagement in the search process saying, “Community input and feedback was a critical component in selecting our next leader, and we are thrilled that Mr. Giles embodies many of the leadership traits and competencies that our community identified as priorities.” *
The incoming Superintendent shared his gratitude and enthusiasm for the opportunity to serve the Aurora Public Schools community. As the search process came to a close, HYA helped to arrange a day in the district for the new leader. In reflecting on that experience talking with the students, staff, and community members, Mr. Giles commented, “What is clear is that we have important work ahead of us and each of us brings a strong passion and commitment to serving this community.”
The search was led by HYA’s Vice President, Dr. Mike Richie and associates Scott Sigfried and Micah Ali. In a letter to the community, the Board thanked HYA for a successful search saying that the “firm went above and beyond to accommodate our community’s needs.” “There were many outstanding candidates and we had a strong slate for this search,” acknowledged Dr. Richie of HYA. Twenty two of the thirty-two candidates were from outside the state of Colorado. “Michael Giles did an outstanding job throughout the search process and at the end of the day he was what the district was looking for and fit the profile of the leadership report,” stated Richie.
Featured Superintendent and Executive Searches
HYA and our associates assist school districts and educational organizations across the nation with superintendent and executive searches. Learn about a selection of recent searches and read what school boards have to say about working with HYA and participating in our K12 search process.
