About Dr. Kurt Hatch

Career

Dr. Kurt Hatch began his career student-teaching in a first-grade classroom in Tacoma Public Schools in 1994. He has served as a teacher in Puyallup School District and Shanghai, China, an assistant principal in Kent School District, and an award-winning principal in University Place School District and North Thurston School District. He served as Associate Director of the Association of Washington School Principals from 2015 to 2021, where he led equity initiatives, policy development, and professional learning networks. He is currently Faculty Director of the Educational Administration program and Professor of Practice at the University of Washington, Tacoma, and serves as Core Faculty member of the UW School Mental Health Research Assessment and Training Center and Co-Principal Investigator of the Helping Educational Leaders Mobilize Evidence research project. He is also CEO of Leadership Solutions, his consulting LLC.

Early life

Dr. Kurt Hatch grew up in Seattle, Washington, and University Place, Washington. He spent summers in Tacoma's Al Davies Boys and Girls Club as a youth and was a swimmer and water polo player in high school.

Experience

• Teacher, Puyallup School District

  1994 · Washington, U.S.

• Teacher, Shanghai, China

  Shanghai, China

• Assistant Principal, Kent School District

  Washington, U.S.

• Principal, University Place School District

  Washington, U.S.

• Principal, North Thurston School District

  Washington, U.S.

• Associate Director, Association of Washington School Principals

  2015 — 2021 · Washington, U.S.

• Faculty Director and Professor of Practice, University of Washington-Tacoma School of Education

  2021 · Tacoma, Washington, U.S.

• CEO, Leadership Solutions

  Present · Tacoma, Washington, U.S.

Education

• Curtis High School

  High School Diploma

• Washington State University

  B.A., History

• Western Washington University

  M.Ed., Educational Leadership

• University of Washington

  Ed.D., Educational Leadership · 2021

Awards

• Boundary Spanner Award (inaugural winner)

Memberships

• Council of Washington Colleges of Educational Administration Programs Council (WCEAP)
• Washington Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents (WALAS)
• UW School Mental Health Research Assessment and Training (SMART) Center

Certifications

• Licensed to teach and practice as a school principal in Washington state

Interests

• CrossFit
• Jazz music
• Reading
• Spending time with friends and family
• Volunteering with the Special Olympics
• Volunteering with Families Unlimited Network (F.U.N.)