Sequoia appoints new business officer

Redwood City resident James Lianides was named as the Sequoia Union High School District assistant superintendent and chief of business Wednesday.

Lianides will join the district on Oct. 1 after nearly a decade with the Pacifica School District, where he served as director of administrative services and, since 2006, as superintendent. He will fill the position left vacant with the departure of Ed LaVigne. During Lianides’ work in the six-school Pacifica district, Lianides strengthened the commitment to standards-based curriculum, established a highly effective program for special education students, oversaw a $70 million modernization project and actively participated in this year’s successful parcel tax campaign.

"The depth and breadth of Jim’s leadership experience in public education in California makes him the ideal complement to our leadership team,” said Superintendent Patrick Gemma. "The fact that Jim resides in our district and graduated from our own Woodside High School is a reflection of his built-in affinity for the District and our schools.”

In his new role, Lianides will oversee the district’s construction activities as well as budget and finance, information technology and services, maintenance and operations, purchasing, food services and transportation.

Following graduation from the University of California at Berkeley, Lianides taught bilingual classes in Los Angeles and Redwood City public schools, and served as principal of public schools in the Half Moon Bay and Mountain View school districts. In 2006, Lianides earned his doctorate in education through a joint doctoral program in leadership for educational equity sponsored by U.C. Berkeley and California State University.