School District 43 (SD43) will soon have a new leader.
Today, Oct. 7, the board of education announced Robert Zambrano will assume the role of superintendent to replace Patricia Gartland, who is retiring.
Zambrano, who officially takes over the position on Dec. 1, has been a teacher, sports coach and administrator in the district for the past 34 years.
He taught science, math and French at Pinetree Secondary and Hastings Junior Secondary for eight years before moving to Minnekhada Middle as vice principal for two years.
Later, he served as vice principal of Terry Fox Secondary and principal at Citadel Middle, Hillcrest Middle and Centennial Secondary.
In 2015, Zambrano became the district’s assistant superintendent — a post he held for nine years and was responsible for student wellness and safety, Community Link and Indigenous education at 17 schools, including two alternate schools.
According to a SD43 news release, Zambrano has also been the district’s liaison to other government, nonprofit and municipal organizations like Fraser Health, Ministry of Children and Family Development, RCMP, Port Moody Police and SHARE.
During COVID-19, Zambrano was the co-district lead. He also has led SD43’s Emergency Operation Centre and the District Critical Incident Response Team.
Zambrano, who also speaks French and Italian, has a master’s degree in science (educational leadership) from the University of Oregon and bachelor’s degrees in science (zoology) and education from UBC, where he was the goalkeeper for the varsity soccer team from 1985 to 1990.
In August, Gartland said she will step down after 44 years in SD43 — the third largest school district in B.C.
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