top of page

About Me.

Dr. David Christiansen was named Chief of Schools at Charter Schools USA.

​

Serving CSUSA K-12 national network of 90+ schools, 75,000 students, and 9,000 team members as Chief of Schools committed to the vision to have a "dramatic impact on the world's next-generation - changing lives and leaving a legacy" and leading with the core values of purpose, passion, integrity, and grit

 

As an educator for the past 26 years, Dr. Christiansen has served as

a classroom teacher, coach, advisor, director, school principal, associate superintendent, and chief academic officer, and he has experience at each level of education including early learning/Pre-K, elementary school, middle school, high school, and higher education.

 

Before joining the School District of Palm Beach County, Christiansen served as the Chief Academic Officer for Lake County Schools in Lake County, Florida. In this role his major accomplishments included:

 

  • Earning national recognition from the College Board for closing the achievement gap in Advanced Placement (AP) courses (one of only five districts in Florida recognized with AP Honor Roll Designation).

  • Earning state recognition from Florida Educational Commissioner Pam Stewart as one of the 13 districts in Florida to improve student performance in all state End of Course (EOC) tests.

  • Increasing instructional time by 8-12 additional days at each level (high school, middle school, and elementary school) while standardizing bell schedules to ensure appropriate collaborative planning time for teachers.

  • Implementing a strategic Finance Plan through Engage Lake County Schools (LCS) initiative resulting in the reallocation of $11.3 million toward instructional priorities.

​

​

From 2015 through 2018, Christiansen served as Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Schools for the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) in July of 2015. SDPBC is the 11th largest district in the country with a student enrollment of more than 183,000 students and an annual budget of approximately $2.3 billion. SDPBC is the largest employer in Palm Beach County, with more than 21,000 employees, including approximately 13,000 teachers.

 

From 2012 through 2014, Christiansen served as Associate Superintendent for Fresno Unified School District in Fresno, California. In this role his major accomplishments included:

 

  • Ranking in the top 3 districts in the on for improvement in the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) in Reading and Math for 4TH and 8TH grade in Fresno in the 2013 NAEP report.

  • Creating a stem to organize elementary, middle, and high schools into Pre-K-12 “Regions” with a common vision, mission, and goals of graduating all students college- enrolled, military-enlisted, or industry-certified.

 

From 2007 through 2012, Christiansen served as Principal for Evans High School in Orange County Public Schools. In this role his major accomplishments included:

 

  • Increasing in school grades from an “F” rating in 2007 to a “B” rating in 2012.

  • Increasing graduation rate from 49% in 2007 to 80% in 2012.

  • Creating and implementing the “Community School” model to provide holistic services to all students; a 25-year partnership between Orange County Public Schools, the University of Central Florida, Children’s Home Society, and JP Morgan Chase.

 

From 2003 through 2007, Christiansen served as Principal for University High School in Orange County Public Schools. In this role his major accomplishments included:

 

  • Increasing graduation rate from 75% in 2003 to 92% in 2007.

  • Implementing a nationally certified AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.

  • Implementing an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program.

  • Launching a Global Technologies STEM Magnet program.

 

Christiansen’s involvement in community and organizational leadership includes:

 

  • Advisor to Florida Department of Education from 2013 to present.

  • Governance Council, Health Science Partnership (unique STEM partnership between the University of Central Florida, Lake-Sumter College, Lake County Schools, South Lake Hospital, and Montverde Academy) from 2014 to the present.

 

Christiansen has received professional recognition which includes:

 

  • Central Floridian of the Year, Top 5 Finalist, Orlando Sentinel

  • Orange County Public Schools ESOL Principal of the Year

  • Orange County PTSA Principal of the Year

  • Orange County Public Schools Fine Arts Principal of the Year

 

Christiansen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Masters of Art in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida.

 

He enjoys spending time with his wife Kim, who is also an educator, and his three boys: Owen, Dane, and Dawson.

Dr. David Christiansen was named Chief of Schools at Charter Schools USA.

© 2024 by CEO for FOIL

  • Facebook Clean
bottom of page