Cathie E. West has an MS Degree in education and over thirty years of experience as an elementary school principal. Currently she is the principal of a 540 student K-5 elementary school in Washington State. The 2010 School of Distinction Award was given to her elementary school, Mountain Way Elementary, by the Center for Educational Effectiveness and Phi Delta Kappa, Washington State Chapter.

Cathie has been twice honored as an exemplary principal, receiving the Washington Distinguished Principal Award as the representative from Douglas County in 1998, and as the representative from Snohomish County in 2005. She also received the Leadership for Student Achievement Award from the Washington Association of School Administrators in 2009.

Cathie’s professional experience includes teaching at the college level; directing special programs, such as Title I, Special Education, and Highly Capable; and coordinating curriculum and staff development for a variety of school districts. In addition, she was an Editorial Advisor for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (2002–05) and a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the Washington State Leadership Academy (2008). Currently Cathie serves on the Editorial Board for Washington State Kappan.

Cathie co-authored Leadership Teaming: The Superintendent-Principal Relationship (Corwin Press, 2009) with Dr. Mary Lynne Derrington. Her writing has appeared in The Principal News (AWSP), Washington State Kappan (PDK), Principal (NAESP), Communicator (NAESP), and ERS Spectrum.  

Affiliation

Mountain Way Elementary, WA

Related News & Media

Cathie E. West was interviewed about workplace negativity in School Leadership Briefing.

Cathie E. West writes "School Leadership Teaming" for Principal magazine.

Cathie E. West writes "Power-up Your Staff Meetings" for The Principal News.