Dr. Jon Holmen, Superintendent

Dr. Jon Holmen serves as Chief Executive Officer. He provides strategic vision, leadership and direction to Lake Washington School District. Dr. Holmen is a skilled education leader with 24 years of experience in public education. On July 1, 2020, he became Lake Washington School District’s 13th superintendent.

Dr. Holmen started his career in Lake Washington teaching third grade at Benjamin Rush Elementary. After teaching a number of grades and grade configurations, Dr. Holmen served as an Assistant to the Principal at Christa McAuliffe Elementary and Carl Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School. Upon completing his administrative credential program, Dr. Holmen served as Principal at Samantha Smith Elementary from 2004-2007.

In 2007, Dr. Holmen was selected to serve as an Associate Director of Special Services. During his time in Special Services, Dr. Holmen worked with school teams and families in all regions of the district. In 2012, he served as the Director of School Support for the Redmond Learning Community. From 2014 to 2020, Dr. Holmen served as Associate Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent, and was a member of the Executive Cabinet. During those six years, Dr. Holmen provided executive oversight for Special Education, Intervention Services, School Support, Human Resources, Student Services, Technology Operations, Communications, and Data, Research & Accountability.

In 2016, Dr. Holmen graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a doctorate in Executive Leadership. The focus of his dissertation work was the relationship between effective school boards and increased student achievement. Additionally, he has a master’s degree from Seattle Pacific in Educational Leadership, a master’s degree from City University in Teaching, and was a student-athlete as an undergraduate at Seattle Pacific University. 

Dr. Holmen currently serves as the Chair of the Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC) Administrative Council, a member of the Executive Committee as a Board member of Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS), represents Superintendents in the region as a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council for the Puget Sound ESD and is a member of organizations such as Kiwanis and OneRedmond. Dr. Holmen led the district through the challenges related to the pandemic and is currently launching a strategic plan initiative and advisory groups focused on Facilities, Budget and Inclusionary Educational Practices. Dr. Holmen’s team is also conducting a review of K-8 Highly Capable Programs, analyzing the high school student experience and engaging community through an ongoing process focused on Community Resource Officers. Previously, Dr. Holmen has led multiple successful levy campaigns, led numerous reboundary processes and implemented innovative processes to ensure community voice and participation. Dr. Holmen served as executive sponsor of the district’s data strategy and worked with staff to develop and implement a robust and responsive data system that provides support for operational and instructional decision making.

Dr. Holmen and his wife reside in the district where their youngest child attends school. Dr. Holmen enjoys the outdoors, spending time with his family and cheering for our local sports teams. Previously, he served as community volunteer in Redmond West Little League and City of Redmond as a youth coach. He believes in the value of serving the community he lives in and is committed to ensuring continued organizational growth and development to meet the needs of each student.