School District Hires New Technology Director

James Bowlby, former Director of Technology for the Menlo Park City School District for 14 years, is set to join the Mill Valley School District in the same capacity.

He takes the reigns on July 8.

"We are so pleased that we were able to have someone of Jim’s caliber and expertise join our district team,” said Superintendent Paul Johnson said of his appointment. “His unique experience as both a classroom technology teacher and administrator is an ideal match for Mill Valley and will help us successfully move forward.”

Bowlby will be the second technology director in two years. He replaces Chris Coffelt, who was hired in 2011.

“I am honored to be selected for the position of Tech Director in the Mill Valley School District, which, from the thorough interview process to every person I've interacted with thus far, is clearly an organization of quality with a community that values and supports education,” Bowlby said.

In Menlo Park, he worked with staff to develop and deliver training, professional development and innovative curricular initiatives to the schools. One of his major accomplishments includes establishing a 1:1 ratio of iPads per student in grades fifth through eight as part of the 21st Centry Classroom Project. He also served as a consultant on a $110 million school bond project which included implementation of SMART boards and video studios.

Bowlby previously worked as Director of Technology at San Francisco University High School for four years and has held software engineer positions at Adobe Systems in San Jose, CA, the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, and Medcom Solutions in Pittsburgh, PA.

He started his teaching career at Shady Side Academy, a private K-12 school in Pittsburgh, PA where he spent six years teaching Computer Literacy, Computer Graphics and Computer Science.

Bowlby graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. with honors in Computer Science from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA with a concentration on Technology in Education.

“I feel fortunate to join a district where technology, a critical component of the Common Core, is a key direction embedded in the strategic plan,” Bowlby said, “and I look forward to working together with all stakeholders to focus on the primary district goal of educating students.”