Rancho Cordova, CA (MPG) - Superintendent Sarah Koligian has appointed a 20-year veteran of education to serve as Folsom Cordova’s next Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

Don Ogden is currently the superintendent of the Vallecito Union School District in Calaveras County and has previously held administrative positions in the Sacramento City Unified and Galt Joint Union school districts.

Ogden, 54, will serve on the superintendent’s Executive Cabinet and will oversee all employee recruitment and retention in a district with roughly 1,700 full-time employees. The position also serves as Folsom Cordova’s chief negotiator in labor relations matters. Ogden fills the vacancy left by Karen Knight, who retired June 30.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join Folsom Cordova’s excellent team,” Ogden said. “I’m passionate about student achievement, and I’m looking forward to building strong relationships with our staff and working together to help our kids succeed.”

The Folsom Cordova Board of Education approved Ogden’s appointment during a special meeting July 5. He will begin Monday, July 17.

“When our interview panel met Don, we were most impressed with his personnel experience and people skills, and we believe he will be a great fit with our team,” Koligian said. “Working as a superintendent in a smaller district has afforded him the opportunity to work directly as a coach and mentor and to handle complicated personnel matters.”

Ogden has been the superintendent of the three-school Vallecito Union district since 2013, where he also has taken on principal responsibilities. There, he has provided leadership mentoring and training, instructional coaching, and worked closely with the chief business officer to operate a fiscally prudent budget. All three of his schools have been named California Gold Ribbon Schools in the last two years, and in 2016 he was named Region 7 Superintendent/Principal of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators.

A former classroom teacher, Ogden has held numerous administrative positions throughout California. Before Vallecito Union, Ogden was the founding principal of the California Connections Academy @ Ripon charter school and also served as principal of Camellia Basic School in Sacramento City Unified, where he was named the 2002 Milken National Educator and his school was awarded National Blue Ribbon status. His leadership experience extends into the private sector as well: For six years, Ogden was vice president of Builders Choice Inc.

Ogden holds a bachelor of science in computer science from California State University, Stanislaus, and a master’s degree in education from the University of La Verne. He and his wife of 25 years, Lori, have two daughters and are longtime residents of Rancho Murieta. In his spare time, Ogden enjoys diving for abalone, cycling, and is on a quest to read every biography of each U.S. president.