Brian L. Benzel

Dr. Brian L. Benzel was superintendent in Mead, Edmonds and Spokane (Washington State) from 1984 to 2007 with a break for a few years to work in the private sector. He served as Chief Operating Officer in the Seattle Public Schools and later as Vice President and CFO for Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, retiring in 2013.

Prior to his school district and university service Dr. Benzel worked for the Washington State Legislature, the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and as the Business Manager for the Mead School District.

He served as chair of Washington State’s Task Force on Schools for the 21st Century (1987-1992), later as a member of the National Council on Education Standards and Testing (1992), and as a state commissioner to the Education Commission of the States (1990-1995). He also served as a member of the Washington State Commission on Student Learning (1993-1999). In 1993, he was selected as a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year.

Dr. Benzel earned his BA in Business from Washington State University, his Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, and the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

Drs. Benzel and Kenneth E. Hoover have known and worked together for over 30 years. Together, they published The Superintendent and CFO: Building an Effective Team 2nd Edition (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2021). Dr. Benzel consults with public schools and private universities. He's served as an adjunct faculty teaching leadership and school finance for numerous universities.

Dr. Benzel lives in Redmond, WA, where he currently serves as a director for the PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company. He is married to Cynthia, a retired elementary school principal. They have two married children and four grandchildren, three in public schools and one attending the University of Colorado Boulder.