The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees welcomed Dr. Christopher Brown as the new superintendent of CUSD on June 14.
He is replacing former Superintendent Kirsten Vital Brulte, and his contract is set to run through June 30, 2027. In Dec 2022, Trustees voted, 4-3, to terminate Brulte’s contract. The following five months served as a selection period, with all seven Trustees approving Brown’s contract due to his experience at various levels of CUSD leadership. He was previously a high school director, principal, middle school assistant principal, coordinator, dean, athletic coach and science teacher.
Dr. Brown was recruited by consultants hired by CUSD and shared, “I’ve spent the last 20 years working in the Long Beach Unified School District as a teacher and leader. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some great educators there. I’m really excited to learn from some of the great educators that are here in Capistrano Unified, as a member of the team moving forward.” Dr. Brown earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine, his master’s degree at the California State University at Long Beach and his doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.
His lengthy application, participation in two structured interviews of over two hours and a visit to his workplace left him as the perfect candidate for CUSD superintendency.
“I’m committed to working with the board as a team member to continue to improve the already great outcomes that Capistrano is enjoying for its students and staff members,” Brown said. “I really can’t wait to spend time in our schools meeting our teachers, the staff, the administrators who are working so hard for our students. I’m really eager to see our students perform academically, socially, athletically, musically, artistically—to really see what they’re doing in our schools.”
