Dr. Kevin Skelly became Superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District in 2007.  Prior to his present position, Dr. Skelly served three years as Associate Superintendent for the Poway Unified School District, a district of 33,000 students in San Diego County.  Dr. Skelly was also the principal of Saratoga High School for eleven years.  Dr. Skelly’s background includes work with budgeting, benefits, compensation, policy, curriculum and instruction, standards and assessment, special education and staff development.  His passion for education and children began with his work after college with talented students from low-income neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. and with shoe-shine boys and their families in Quito, Ecuador. 

Dr. Skelly received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in Education Management and Policy from UC Berkeley.  He lives in Palo Alto with his wife.  They have four children, two of whom graduated from Palo Alto schools and one who is currently a high school junior.