The new superintendent leans in when she’s listening. She plays golf in her free time. She’s tall. She smiles a lot. She begins July 1, and most of all, she wants to hear from us.

Melissa Goff’s first teaching job was in Mitchell, Oregon, where the entire school district had only 96 students. She taught seventh through 12th grade language arts and drama, and was also the junior class advisor, the cheerleading coach, and organized a tri-county prom. She was in education for seven years before taking on an admin position. She worked in Portland public schools for five years before going to Philomath and becoming superintendent there.

“In Portland we had a great deal of diversity,” she said. “There was a lot of opportunity to work in matters of equity–racial, linguistic, socio-economic equity.” She’s very passionate about equity. Now in Albany, she sees places in the district where she can focus on students who haven’t gotten as much help as they need. She also sees the importance of learning from the students, staff, and community in order to have a positive impact on the district.

“I want to listen. I want to learn more. I’m excited to have the opportunity to be included in community meetings just to learn more about GAPS. I don’t want to go in with any assumptions and I know that Albany has experienced a little bit of roughness in landing on a permanent superintendent. I feel like I can … listen, learn, and keep everything moving forward that’s happening right now.”

Goff ends her position in Philomath on June 30 and starts in Albany on July 1.

In her free time, Goff likes to spend time with her husband of 23 years and her two daughters. Her oldest daughter goes to UCLA, and her youngest will graduate from Philomath High School this year. Goff has also golfed since college and enjoys going to estate sales and reading.

She wants people to know that she is an honest person who’s interested in knowing what’s important to students. She plans on utilizing social media on a regular basis to hear from the public, and is setting up in-person listening sessions. She encourages students to come to them and to bring their younger siblings, too.

Goff is well-qualified for this position and proud of her integrity and approachableness. She feels that she’s been effective in her past job positions and that her diverse experiences make her a good, successful leader.

“I think my experiences have really led me to this superintendency.”