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.

After graduating from City University of New York with a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, Director Saideh Haghighi Khochkhou traveled to Ecuador, South America, as part of an archeological team to excavate ruins dating back to the Valdivia culture. Once obtaining her master’s degree in ESOL & bilingual education, her educational career began by teaching fifth grade in a bilingual school.  She later became the K-12 English as a Foreign Language Director at an all-boys elementary school in Guayaquil, Ecuador. After living abroad for 10 years, in 2001, Saideh’s travels brought her to the Hillsboro School District where she has served as a bilingual assistant, ESL teacher and ESL coordinator and case manager at the high school level. Prior to her current role, Saideh took the position of Teacher on Special Assignment and later Director for the Office of Hispanic Outreach.  Saideh is bilingual in English and Spanish and has completed her doctorate in educational leadership for social justice.