The Board of Trustees of Palliser Regional Schools is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Nightingale as Director of Human Resources for the 2014-15 school year.
Nightingale has seven years of experience in school administration and has served as principal of St. Mary’s School in Taber for the past three years. He has a bachelor’s degree, majoring in history, from the University of Calgary (1996), and earned a bachelor’s in education with great distinction from the University of Lethbridge (2000). In 2010, he completed his master’s degree at the U of L.
Nightingale was recently named a recipient of the 2013-14 Distinguished Leadership Award, presented by the Council for School Leadership of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. In addition to his role as an educational leader, Nightingale has served on a number of community groups, including as a board member of the Taber Community Action Prevention Society and on the executive of the Southern Alberta Interscholastic Athletic Council and the Southern Alberta High School Football League.
“I am excited to be joining Palliser Regional Schools,” Nightingale said, adding he was attracted to the opportunity to work with the division’s diversity of schools. “This new role provides an excellent opportunity to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to positively impact the lives of students. I look forward to building relationships with staff across the division and within the communities Palliser serves.”
Nightingale was selected following a recruitment effort facilitated by education consultant Dr. Leroy Sloan. The competition was decided by a committee of five Board trustees, who took over the interview and hiring process after Superintendent Kevin Gietz declared a conflict of interest at the outset of the competition. The Board interviewed several candidates who had applied for one or both of two director level positions available in Central Office — Director of Learning and Director of Human Resources. Filling these two vacancies will bring Central Office staffing back to the four directors it last had in the 2011-12 school year.
“We’re looking forward to Michael joining the Palliser team,” said Board Chair Colleen Deitz. “He certainly impressed our committee with his understanding of data-driven decision-making, his school management skills and his articulate communication.”
Nightingale and wife, Karrie, have two young sons, Logan, who is 11, and Ryan, 9. They enjoy spending time camping in summer and skiing in winter.