Members tap King for school board

Sisters businessman Stephen King will serve on the Sisters School Board for the next three years. The board tapped King to fill the remaining years on the term of Kay Grady, who stepped aside due to family medical concerns.

Board chair Don Hedrick told The Nugget that King was chosen from among five candidates.

"He's got an extremely extensive background in high-tech companies, and he's been a college professor teaching tech courses," Hedrick noted.

The board chair said that that background will be helpful to the school district as it strives to keep up with an increasingly technology-oriented education system.

"The district is trying to move ahead with technology improvements," he said.

King is president and CEO of OpenMake Software, which he operates out of Sisters, and he has been an advisor to many companies and currently consults with EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) on business development. He taught organizational management at the University of Oregon, and as an adjunct professor at Portland State University.

He has had a place in Sisters for 18 years, and moved here with his family three years ago. He has two school-age children in Sisters.

While his business background is deep and extensive, King also brings a broad and holistic outlook to his philosophy of education. He believes that education is more than gaining specific knowledge - it is also about gaining wisdom. He sees value in breaking down the conceptual barriers between what many would consider core academics and the arts and athletics. For example, he notes, science and the arts should not be in opposition.

King's vision for an education system that nurtures well-rounded, quality human beings, reflects his own path. In addition to his business endeavors, he has a PhD in mythology and is a musician.

King says he has no agenda coming onto the board.

"I felt like I could contribute," he said. "I'm not one to stick my head up just for the sake of it. My immediate priority is to understand."

Though he professes no agenda, he does have a focus. He believes that Sisters can do more to harness the already fruitful relationship between the schools and the community. He cites the work of the Sisters Folk Festival, the Sisters Science Club, Sisters Park & Recreation District and other organizations and says that more concerted efforts to integrate community and schools can pay educational dividends.

"We have an interesting model in Sisters of social entrepreneurship," he said. "Harnessing what's going on in the community can really help. I think if I have a focus it would be that."

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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