Term Project

Hunter Coleman
Business 1010
12/14/15
Websters Dictionary (A) defines CEO as the executive with the chief decision-making authority in
an organization or business. This means that a CEO calls the shots and makes the decisions to
help an organization grow. There are CEOs of both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses and there
are also CEOs of government-appointed organizations such as different agencies in the state. On
January 10, 2013, a Salt Lake Tribune (B) headline stated, Utah school board ousts superintendent
of deaf, blind schools, meaning Dr. Steve Noyce would no longer be the CEO of the Utah Schools
for the Deaf and Blind (USDB). There was a vacancy that needed to be filled by someone who could
effectively administrate and improve deaf and blind education in Utah. Being the CEO of a state

agency appears to be a good career option because there will always be a need. This school
agency in particular helps children and disabled people, and therefore fulfills a greater purpose
in the world.

A press release (D) from June 7, 2013 announced, The Utah State Board of Education today
unanimously appointed District 6 Board Member Joel Coleman of West Jordan as the new
superintendent of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) effective July 1. An
article (E) in the Deseret News reads, SALT LAKE CITY State School Board member Joel
Coleman was selected by the board Friday to serve as superintendent of the Utah Schools for
the Deaf and the Blind.

Joel Coleman, newly appointed CEO of USDB, now had to learn the duties and responsibilities
of his new position. Research for this job shows that there was not a detailed job description.
Since this position heads an agency under the state Board of Education, the job description and

information is determined legislatively. Title 53A of the Utah Code (C) gives the job description
as
(2)
(a)

The board shall appoint a superintendent for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and
the Blind.

(b)

The board shall make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act, regarding the qualifications, terms of
employment, and duties of the superintendent for the Utah Schools for the
Deaf and the Blind.

(3)

The superintendent shall:

(a)

subject to the approval of the board, appoint an associate superintendent to

administer the Utah School for the Deaf based on:
(i)

(ii

demonstrated competency as an expert educator of deaf persons; and

knowledge of school management and the instruction of deaf

persons;

(b)

subject to the approval of the board, appoint an associate superintendent to

administer the Utah School for the Blind based on:
(i

demonstrated competency as an expert educator of blind persons;

and

(ii

knowledge of school management and the instruction of blind

persons, including an understanding of the unique needs and

education of deafblind persons.

In Superintendent Colemans cover letter (F) for this position, he states different qualities he has
that will help him fulfill the jobs responsibilities such as strong balance of stakeholder
collaboration in decision-making and a high level of competency in leadership personal ability
to manage others in a way that maximizes their performance and career satisfaction and also
the ability to interact productively with key stakeholders for our USDB programs. A strong,
positive working relationship with the USDB Advisory Council, the State Board of Education, and
the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is vital to our success performance
accountability and in transparency creating an enjoyable atmosphere of intense professional
dedication and a consistent, sustained drive to improve innovation is critical to providing the
best education possible. Most importantly, I believe students who are blind, deaf, or deafblind
can achieve whatever their sighted or hearing peers can achieve.

What He does here is creates his own mission statement, and vision statement, while defining
his job in his own words if he were to be hired.

The general career path of a deaf and blind school superintendent would typically begin with a
teaching degree specializing or certifying in deaf and blind education with a number of years in
the classroom or providing services. From there this special educator would likely pursue a
Masters and/or Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. Most commonly a superintendent of education
has a Ph.D. Joel, however, took a different route according to his resume: (G)
Teaching and Education Leadership
Elected Board Member Utah State Board of Education 2010-present

 Task Force Member Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB) 2010
Chairman, USDB Committee Utah State Board of Education 2011-present
Charter School Founder and Trustee, 8 Years Monticello Academy 2005-present
Commissioner Utah Civics and Character Education Commission 2011-present
Senior Western States Director NASBE Board of Directors 2013
Career Teacher, 22 Years - LDS Seminaries & Institutes of Religion 1991-present
Educational Administrator, 9 years Seminary Principal 1998-2007
Chairman West Valley Education Advisory Council 2005-2007
Chairman Parent Education Network 2003-2005
Superintendent Coleman did not take a traditional career path as most other public education
leaders. He began as a private, parochial teacher for over twenty years. He also served in
elected public office, on a city council, local school board and eventually the state board of
education. This experience, coupled with a Masters degree in Public Administration, not only
qualified him for the job but also made him a candidate worth recruiting by state board members
themselves. Although his career was spent in the private sector, his formal education proved
ideal for this position.

Reflecting back on his resume,

Education
MPA. Public Administration. Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management, 1997
B.S. Speech Communication. University of Utah College of Communications, 1992
Certificate. Professional Development Program Graduate. LDS Church Educational System,
1995
In consideration of the applicants, the State Board of Education seemed to value the Masters in
Public Administration over other degrees, including the traditional Masters of Education. The

Public Administration degree would prove to be the exact fit for the many administrative duties
he would perform.

According to Utahs Right to Know website (H) , Superintendent Colemans annual salary is
$192,599. In an interview, he reported (I) that he earns around $133,000. The larger number
comes from a report from last year when he was hired (J) to fulfill an additional interim
superintendent position for the state. A review of superintendents in Utah revealed a salary
range from just below $100,000 per year to $306,000, generally based on the size of the district
and location.

In the interview (I) Coleman reported that the career outlook is positive. Throughout the country
positions in special needs administration is in high demand and will continue to increase. In
many cases, public funds are not spent effectively to help the special needs students of the
U.S., and that is why states are in need of the right person to control these departments.
In a letter to this author, Superintendent Coleman included this bio (K):
Joel Coleman Bio
Superintendent Joel Coleman is a graduate of the University of Utah and holds a
Masters degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University. His
career spans 25 years in teaching and administration as well as various roles in
public service and civic involvement.
Mr. Coleman is a former two-term city councilman in West Valley City, Utahs second
largest city, and he is the founder and trustee of Monticello Academy, a Utah public
charter school. In 2009 he was elected to the Utah State Board of Education. He
served as a commissioner on the Lieutenant Governors commission for civics and
character education and was also elected to the governing board of the National

Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).

In June 2013 the Board appointed Mr. Coleman to lead the Utah Schools for the Deaf
and the Blind and in August 2014 he was appointed to serve as the interim
Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Utah. In March 2015 he was
appointed as an interim Executive Director for the Utah State Office of
Rehabilitation while that agency was restructured.
Joels wife, Kim Coleman, is a member of the Utah House of Representatives. They
reside in West Jordan, Utah with their 5 children, who all attend or have graduated
from Utah public schools.
In addition, he included 3 positives and 3 negatives of his career (K)

Positives and negatives:

3 Positives:
1. Being the CEO enables me to exercise my ingenuity and utilize leadership skills that I
have developed over my career, instead of just wondering if I would be a good leader. It
is a chance to actually put my talents to the test.
2. I have many opportunities to interact with other businesses, agencies, civic partners,
and leaders in the community. Each day is a new adventure and I get to constantly
monitor and affect every facet of our core mission.
3. The compensation is great.

3 Negatives:

1. It can be tremendously difficult to manage so many moving parts and at times it can
seem overwhelming - especially during the first year with a new organization when there
can be a steep learning curve.
2. Certain individuals make life very difficult if they are not the right fit for the position
they occupy. For example, if a division director is unqualified, or otherwise oppositional
about the vision or the direction set by the organization leadership, it takes time and
resources to replace that person with someone who is a more productive contributor to
the team.
3. Maintaining a work/life balance can be difficult because with the responsibilities of
executive leadership it is often not possible to put in a typical day at work and leave the
job at the office. Essentially, a CEO is a 24/7 job in some respects. Even when I am not
actively at work, I am still on call. And calls come at all hours during intense projects
or seasons of high demand.
In considering my personal fit for this position, I think I would be a great fit for this job
because it is a politically appointed position, I have a passion for deaf and blind
students, and I believe I can make the hard decisions that need to be made. I have great
interest in the political atmosphere, which will help with lobbyists and legislators as we
try to improve education in the state. I have a deaf cousin who has been able to achieve
the best education possible and is now attending a university in New York City because
of the benefits of deaf education in Utah. I also believe every student regardless of their
special needs should have the best opportunities possible. And because of my
experience and judgement I would be able to make hard decisions including policy
changes, budget changes, staff changes and anything that i would have to do because it
is the right thing to do rather than making a decision based on what others tell me I
should do.

In conclusion, as CEO of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, his responsibility is to follow
instruction given to him by the state Board of Education, and everything else is very open for his
interpretation and his decision-making. This job has many hidden benefits, but the most
beneficial is that there is a great need for good CEOs and that it helps benefit the lives of those
in need, in turn making the world a better place.

Sources:
A- (n.d.).RetrievedDecember15,2015,fromhttp://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/ceo
B- Utahschoolboardoustssuperintendentofdeaf,blindschools.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember15,2015,from
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/news/5560849178/noyceboarddeafschools.html.csp
C- UtahStateLegislature.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember15,2015,from
http://www.le.state.ut.us/xcode/Title53A/Chapter25B/53A25bS201.html?v=C53A25bS201_1800010118000101

D- (n.d.).RetrievedDecember15,2015,fromhttp://schools.utah.gov/main/INFORMATION/Online
Newsroom/DOCS/USDBSuperintendent.aspx
E- NewsuperintendentappointedtoUtahSchoolsfortheDeafandtheBlind.(2013,June7).RetrievedDecember
15,2015,fromhttp://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581329/NewsuperintendentappointedtoUtahSchools
fortheDeafandBlind.html?pg=all
F- Cover Letter
G- resume
H- Utah'sRightToKnow|UtahsRight.com.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember15,2015,from
http://www.utahsright.com/salaries.php?city=all&query=joelcoleman
I-interview
J-StateSchoolBoardappointsinterimsuperintendentofpublicinstruction.(2014,August15).RetrievedDecember
15,2015,fromhttp://www.deseretnews.com/article/865608866/StateSchoolBoardappointsinterim
superintendentofpublicinstruction.html?pg=all
K-letter from Joel Coleman (bio/Pros and cons)