‘I Feel Incredibly Lucky to Do This Work’

Doctor of education graduate Troy Fisher has found his dream job – modeling George Fox’s Be Known promise as the superintendent of the St. Paul School District

Troy Fisher is the first to admit his job isn’t easy. As superintendent of the St. Paul School District in St. Paul, Oregon, he wears many hats – district superintendent, principal of the elementary school, director of the special education program, and “HR guy,” as he puts it, among them.

Beyond that, there are the challenges associated with budget shortfalls, finding creative solutions to providing state-of-the-art resources in a small district, and dealing with disciplinary issues.

Still, in his view, he has a “dream job” at the “best school district in the state of Oregon.”

“I feel incredibly lucky to do this work,” says Fisher, a 2022 graduate of George Fox’s doctor of education (EdD) program. “Yes, it’s very hard, but it’s changing lives. I get to see that happen every single day. Then, when you watch a student cross the graduation stage, knowing the challenges and successes they had and knowing that every single staff member here had some sort of impact and touch on their life, it’s just an amazing feeling. I feel proud and grateful to be a part of that.”

The seeds for Fisher’s love of education were planted early. His aunt was a fourth-grade teacher, and on occasion he would join her in teaching arts and crafts – despite being just a fourth-grader himself. Later, in high school in Hermiston, Oregon, he would spend one period a day teaching at the nearby elementary school.

Ultimately, after earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1990, Fisher embarked on an educational career that took him all over Oregon. He didn’t initially see himself as an administrator, but his roles as president of various councils and a teachers’ union sparked a desire to pursue a leadership path. He followed that calling by serving as a principal in Baker City for about a decade, as a principal in the Newberg School District for seven years, and in the same capacity in Forest Grove for four years before landing his current position in 2024.

It was while Fisher was in Forest Grove that he completed George Fox’s doctor of education program – a decision that proved invaluable and continues to inform his work today.

“Being at George Fox made me much more reflective of my practice,” he says. “[The university] really supported me in developing my systems thinking, and that’s pretty important in a small district where you have to overcome the lack of people. Fox deepened my ability to listen and connect to others, and that might be the most important of all. It really developed my critical thinking and made me much more of a scholar-leader as well.”

Beyond that, he found the mentorship he needed and the relationships that would be available to him beyond graduation.

“I always knew that there was somebody at Fox who could consult with me on any professional challenge I might have,” he says. “I still have those professional relationships with my professors today. If there's a question I have, I can feel free to call them.

“My dissertation was about how the polarization of community, the nation and the world impacts educational leadership. My professors really allowed me to dig deep into that without getting polarized myself. They were able to show me the balance, so that was a real positive.”

Ultimately, he says, he chose George Fox because it aligned with his values. “I wanted a place that focused on developing servant leaders, and the university’s reputation for strong values-based leadership really drew me in,” he says.

“They talk about ‘Be Known’ at George Fox, and I really felt known. Having attended three other universities in the state, while those experiences were very nice and good and helpful, there’s a difference. There was a different feel and a different experience that Fox gave me.”

Today, Fisher is extending that Be Known promise to the students and parents in his district. He knows the majority of the 220 student names in grades K-12, as well as several of the parents’ names.

“Around here, everyone knows everyone, so you’ll wave as you pass people on the road, you’ll see each other at ball games and the rodeo. People just know each other, which is something that makes this a special and unique situation. I'll go into a restaurant and have to stop at five different tables along the way to my table.”

And he’s optimistic about the future, despite constant talk about the lack of money and resources – and the changing nature of education as a whole.

“There are challenges every day in every walk of life, but the people here and the work we're doing make it worth those challenges,” he says. “The teachers, staff, parents and students here all play a part in making sure that everybody is valued. And that’s really a positive.

“Being in St. Paul reminds me why I got into education in the first place.”