Dr. Steve Atwater, superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, has been named to the board of directors of Education Northwest in Portland, Ore., according to a press released issued Monday by Education Northwest.

Education Northwest was chartered in 1966 as the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Its mission is to “improve learning by building capacity in schools, families and communities through applied research and development.” While the issues addressed by Education Northwest have national reach, the focus is in the five northwest sates of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

“I am thrilled to join the Education Northwest Board of Directors,” said Atwater. “After more than 20 years of teaching Alaska’s children and leading two Alaska school districts, I feel that I am well positioned to help Education Northwest meet its mission.”

As KPBSD’s superintendent, Atwater is responsible for 8,700 students in 21 communities. He was named the 2013 Alaska Superintendent of the Year by the Alaska Association of School Administrators and is the past president of the American Association of School Administrators. Atwater earned a doctor of education leadership and a master’s in education curriculum from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

For more about Education Northwest, visit www.educationnorthwest.org.