Overview

Our mission is to serve Hillsboro staff, students, and community. Here you will find resources that help guide and support staff towards positive growth and development in the educational setting. The Human Resources Department is committed to developing and supporting a highly qualified workforce, dedicated to ensuring academic success for all Hillsboro students. By focusing on recruitment, hiring, retention, employee excellence, and quality customer service, our Human Resources Department supports staff in providing valued service to our students and community. 

Vision: Committed to developing and supporting a highly qualified workforce dedicated to ensuring academic success for all students.

Kona Lew-Williams began her teaching career at the elementary level in Meridian, Idaho, in 1996 after graduating from Northwest Nazarene University with a bachelor’s degree in English and elementary education.  She then spent two years in Japan where she taught English Communication at the high school level before returning to Idaho in the summer of 1998.  After six years of teaching third and fifth grade, she moved to Oregon and taught at Imlay Elementary School.

In 2008, Kona completed her Master’s of Education in administrative leadership, and she was appointed as Imlay Elementary’s Principal. In 2012, Kona was selected as Principal of Eastwood Elementary. At Eastwood, she has expanded the school’s Dual Language program, increased academic subgroup growth on the State Report Card by using a push-in model for English Language Development, and implemented a collaborative problem-solving model to support student behavior. In 2014, Kona became a Director in the Human Resources department and has done a great job overseeing licensed staffing, participating in bargaining, conducting investigations, and coming up with creative and sustainable ways to increase our recruiting, hiring, and retention efforts. Kona was selected to be Human Resources Officer on June 30, 2016.

Brian Haats, former principal of Mooberry Elementary School, was selected as the new Human Resources Director as of June 30, 2016. Mr. Haats began his educational career as a teaching assistant at Pals Preschool at Summit Elementary School in Divide, Colorado, in 1995. He then taught second grade at Gateway Elementary School in Woodland Park, Colorado, from 1997 to 1999, before moving to Oregon and joining Patterson Elementary School in 2000. He taught grades 2-5 at Patterson for eight years, and then served as an elementary dean from 2008-2011 at Witch Hazel, Lincoln Street, and Mooberry. In 2011, he was selected as Mooberry’s principal. At Mooberry, he implemented a school-wide push-in English Language Development model and initiated the groundwork for the current K-3 Dual Language program. He also facilitated a significant decrease in behavioral incidents and is known as a strong, fair, and skilled instructional leader.

Martha Rodriguez began her journey in education as a bilingual instructional assistant, Summer School teacher and instructional coach for the Hillsboro School District. After earning her Master’s in Teaching, she served as a Dual Language classroom teacher at Minter Bridge from 2010 to 2016. She then moved to Eastwood Elementary School where she was an instructional coach, test coordinator, and behavior support specialist for three years. From 2017 to 2019, she was the Summer School Lead, developing the program schedule and school improvement plan; designing and aligning the curriculum, instruction, and assessments; planning, organizing, and facilitating professional development; and coordinating and supporting binational teachers from Mexico. She was named principal of Minter Bridge in 2019 and has been serving in that capacity ever since. Rodriguez shares that she is passionate about the journey our district is taking with adopting a new Strategic Plan where we know, value, and empower every student to achieve their dreams. She plans to do everything in her power to build capacity, increase diversity, and support all schools and departments in order to make every school day the best possible for each and every student. She further details excitement for supporting professional growth pathways for classified staff and working in collaboration with classified union partners.