HALLOWELL — The woman once described by one of her employees as “the sun in the bright blue sky” has been named assistant superintendent of Regional School Unit 2.

Kristie Clark Contributed photo

Kristie Clark, principal at Hall-Dale Elementary School in Hallowell, was unanimously approved last week by the RSU 2 school board.

Before approving Clark on Thursday, the board and Superintendent Matt Gilbert entered into an executive session halfway through a board meeting. When board members came out of the executive session about 45 minutes later, they added Clark’s approval to the agenda.

“Yes, a million times yes, you are going to Hollywood, as they say it on TV,” board member Dawn Gallagher said of Clark’s approval.

The district began a search last month for an assistant superintendent after Gilbert, the former assistant superintendent, was unanimously approved by the board to be the district’s superintendent. Gilbert took on the role of acting superintendent in February, after former Superintendent Tonya Arnold resigned.

Clark said in an interview she is “thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as the next assistant superintendent.”

Clark has worked in RSU 2 since 2018, when she became principal of Hall-Dale Elementary school, and has worked in education for more than 20 years.

Before joining Hallowell-based RSU 2, Clark worked for about 12 years in the Lewiston Public Schools, where she held a variety of positions, including classroom teacher, English language director and principal at Gov. James B. Longley Elementary School.

During her time at Hall-Dale Elementary School, Clark has made lasting impressions on teachers, students and families. In one of the most difficult years for teachers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark won the 2021 Maine Principal’s Association national Distinguished Principal of the Year award.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working as the Hall-Dale Elementary School Principal since 2018,” said Clark, who is expected to begin her new role July 1. “It didn’t take me long to see that RSU 2 is a great district to be a part of. I’m looking forward to continuing work of supporting staff and educating students towards academic excellence at the district level.”

Gilbert said he is excited to work with Clark, whom he described as an “outstanding educator.”

“Her experience and knowledge of elementary education Title 1 and ELL (English language learners) are just what we were looking for in the next assistant superintendent,” Gilbert said. “We have a lot to look forward to in RSU 2, and Kristie Clark is a big part of it.”