Longtime MBUSD admin named superintendent in Orinda
Carolyn Seaton, the MBUSD executive director of human resources, has been named the superintendent of a Northern California school district. Photo courtesy of MBUSD
On Feb. 8, the executive director of human resources at the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, Carolyn Seaton, was named the new superintendent of the Orinda Union School District in Contra Costa County in Northern California. Orinda is a suburban city in the San Francisco Bay Area with a population about half of Manhattan Beach’s.
Seaton’s last day will be Apr. 22, and she’ll start at her new job on May 2. She said she had mixed feelings about the change.
“MBUSD has been my home for 19 years,” she said. “It’s my family away from my other family.”
Manhattan Beach Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews posted the news on the district’s Facebook page.
“Orinda is lucky to be hiring such a high quality person and leader,” wrote Matthews. “Congratulations to Carolyn!”
Seaton has been with the district in various capacities since she started as a teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School in 1997. Since then, she has been an assistant principal, the principal of the middle school, and the district’s executive director of educational services, before starting her current position.
Before Manhattan Beach, she lived in Texas, where she taught and got her B.A. from Southern Methodist University and an M.A. in education from the University of North Texas. In May, she will receive an Ed.D. in K-12 educational leadership from USC.
The school district is currently looking for a replacement. Matthews said they hoped to have one by July. ER