Following former superintendent of Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) Tara Taupier’s retirement June 30, 2025, the school board elected Dr. Courtney Goode as the new superintendent April 29, 2025. Goode, a former principal and assistant superintendent, is a student-oriented educator focused on what sets students up for success. In his first year as superintendent, Goode looks to learn more about the TUHSD community and form connections with the staff at each school site.
Goode has been an educator for over twenty years, working for the San Dieguito and Poway School Districts, the San Juan Unified High School District, the Vista Unified High School District, the Solana Beach Unified School District, and, most recently, the Escondido Unified High School District. During this time, he served as assistant superintendent, vice principal, assistant principal, and principal.
At Goode’s most recent position as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at Escondido Unified High School District, he worked closely with Director of Human Resources Vicki Kim. Kim admires how Goode prioritizes students when making decisions.
“It always impressed me how much he always thought about students. Much of our jobs at human resources is working with adults, and we’re there to support the adults and make sure that we recruit, hire, and retain the best quality staff for the students. So while that’s always in the back of our minds, it was always nice to see that [students were] always at the forefront of every decision that he made,” Kim said.
When Kim was first elected the director of Human Resources, she had no experience with the area of district administration. But Goode showed her the ropes of the Human Resources department, setting her up for the career she has now. Kim says he will be sorely missed at Escondido.
Goode’s mindset as superintendent is to understand internal infrastructures within the TUHSD. He believes that this is a better strategy than making significant systemic changes before fully understanding the district’s culture and history. Goode is already investing himself in the TUHSD community, going to each school site and getting to know the staff that make up the district.
“I think for at least this first year, it’s going to be very important for me to establish relationships before making any significant changes or adjustments. And so, I think the focus this year for me is to listen, learn, and build relationships,” Goode said.
Goode and his family recently moved to Marin County for the position. He looks forward to getting involved in the TUHSD community and sharing his knowledge and experience with others.
“I am just very excited to be here. My wife and our youngest daughter are up here now, and we’re all incredibly excited to be in Marin, generally, and then I’m really excited, specifically, to be here in [the TUHSD]. Seems like a great place to be,” Goode said.
Melissa Hunt is a retired educator who worked with Goode at the San Marcos Unified High School District. Hunt was Director of Secondary Education when she met Goode and became his mentor. Hunt’s advice for Goode as he moves into this leadership position is to get to know the staff that makes up TUHSD.
“I would advise him to be on campuses, listen to people, take part in as many activities as he can, to be as connected to the schools and the community as he is to the school board… I know that’s where his heart is, and that will give him the greatest joy,” Hunt said. “It will make it possible for him to even do better across the district level.”
