About the Superintendent
Dr. Mark Mulvihill became the superintendent of the Umatilla-Morrow Education Service District on July 1, 2008. Upon completion of a successful merger between the Umatilla-Morrow and Union-Baker ESDs, Mark became superintendent of the newly-formed InterMountain ESD on May 31, 2011.
Mark has a strong presence as a leader for Education Service Districts and education statewide, serving in a variety of capacities. In 2011, Mark was appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber to serve on the newly-created Oregon Education Investment Board, which serves to create a streamlined PreK-20 education system in Oregon. Mark is the only rural and only eastern Oregon member of the Board, which was created by Senate Bill 909 during the 2011 Legislative Session.
In 2009, Mark was appointed by then-Governor Ted Kulongoski and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo to serve, respectively, on the state’s Quality Education Commission and Race to the Top committee. He is currently serving as the President-Elect of the Oregon Association of ESDs and is a member of the Confederation of School Administrators Policy and Vision Task Force.
A primary focus of Mark’s is the implementation of the merger between the Umatilla-Morrow ESD and the Union-Baker ESD. This two-year process led to the successful creation of the new InterMountain ESD. The new agency now includes four counties: Umatilla, Morrow, Union, and Baker. IMESD officially began on May 31, 2011. Mark says the process of going through the merger – which began in August 2009 – was a positive experience and a model of cooperation between the UMESD and UBESD. He truly believes this was a decision based on “what’s best for kids.”
Mark also is leading two other significant regional projects. The Umatilla County Wraparound Program is entering its second year of operation. The Wraparound Program provides comprehensive services for students experiencing behavioral and emotional problems. Mark serves as the program’s Governance Committee chairman. In addition, Mark is closely working with regional community college and university administrators in the creation of the “Eastern Promise,” an innovative collaboration between regional high schools and the post-secondary institutions set to begin in the fall of 2012.
Mark earned his Master of Teacher Education from Eastern Oregon State College in 1992, after having already obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in elementary education in 1987. More recently, Mark earned his Doctorate of Education in 2007 from Lewis and Clark College.
In 1987, Mark started his career in education as an elementary teacher and high school coach in the Pendleton (Ore.) School District. In 1995, he became principal of Blue Mountain Junior High in John Day, Ore. In 1997, Mark relocated to Hermiston, Ore., to serve as an elementary principal at Sunset Elementary. Mark later became director of elementary curriculum/principal at Desert View Elementary in Hermiston in 2007. Mark then advanced on to assistant superintendent of the Hermiston School District in 2005 and deputy superintendent in 2007.
Mark has received recognition for his leadership throughout the state and region. He was twice selected as Administrator of the Year for the Hermiston School District. He received the Distinguished Principal of the Year award from the Eastern Oregon Elementary Principals Association in 2003. In 2007, Mark was named Oregon Administrator of the Year by the Oregon Association of School Libraries. Mark also serves as a Pendleton Rotary Club board member and is the regional coordinator for the Lewis and Clark administrative licensure program.
Mark is married to Kris Mulvihill, who teaches Spanish at Hermiston High School. They have three sons together and reside in Hermiston, Ore.