Superintendent & Executive Leadership
Governance and Staff
PSESD operations are overseen by our superintendent and a leadership cabinet. Our staff of nearly 400 administrators, educators and support personnel coordinate more than 100 programs organized into five departments.
John P. Welch, Superintendent
John P. Welch was appointed in 2012 as the Superintendent of the Puget Sound Educational Service District. As the agency's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Welch leads the educational service district serving 436,000 students from preschool through grades 12, across 35 school districts, 7 charter schools, and 2 tribal compact schools in the greater Seattle–Tacoma region of Washington State. The vision of the agency is to ensure success for each child and eliminate the opportunity gap by leading with racial equity.
Previously, Mr. Welch served as the Superintendent of Highline Public Schools and Vice President for Business and Administrative Services for South Seattle College. Mr. Welch holds an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University and a BA in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University. He is a graduate of the Broad Urban Superintendent's Academy and has taken executive development courses at Harvard University, Stanford University and University of Denver.