Bow School Superintendent Kathleen Holt announced her retirement in August.

Seven months later, after an extensive search and interview process, the Bow School District has found her successor.

Dr. Dean S.T. Cascadden, currently the superintendent for the White Mountains Regional School District, will take the same position in Bow beginning July 1.

Cascadden and two other candidates visited Bow on Tuesday, March 13, where school board Chairman Warren Fargo said he really stood out.

“I think the three finalists all were very well qualified,” said Fargo. “They all received complimentary comments from the screening committee, but there was a unanimous vote to move forward with Dr. Cascadden because he, out of the three candidates, was clearly the best fit for the Bow School District that could lead us into the future.”

Likewise, Cascadden said Bow was the district for him, noting he was attracted to Bow because it cuts his commute in half, gets him closer to Concord, where he serves on several educational boards and committees, and he now has to govern over one town’s schools, rather than the five he currently oversees.

More importantly, however, Cascadden said Bow affords him the opportunity to work with the parents and administrators on a more involved basis.

“I’m not interested in implementing my own ideas. I want to find out what the community wants and rally toward it,” he said “I’m the type of person I think Bow can really use because I’m a good communicator, a person who collaborates on ideas, and a person who really listens to what the community says and wants to bring that into a clear focus.” Prior to accepting the job in Bow, Cascadden said he worked with two districts that knew they wanted drastic change and improvement.

“My frustration with my present job is, capacity-wise, we run into issues and have to put in an incredible amount of resources to make modest gains in achievement,” he said. “Bow is a great place already, so the question is ‘How do you take a place like that and get even more excellence?’” The trick, said Cascadden, is not being satisfied with being good.

“The general feeling I got from Bow is, ‘We know that we’re good and have a good system, but we’re not really sure what we’re all about and where our focus is,’” he said. “Bow needs to look at some things they’ve taken for granted and try to cut it up and look at different aspects in new ways.

The first thing he said he would do, coming in, is take the larger community – the administrative team and school board, staff and faculty, and residents – and look at where the district has progressed over the last decade, build up sense of history and determine the next step.

In addition to building a strong relationship with the community, one area Cascadden sees potential for improvement is transition between schools.

“In some ways, it seems like the schools are three separate islands, all good in and of themselves, but for the students, I think it can be tough to make the transition between schools and I think we can make that easier for them,” he said.

Cascadden also said he wants to take a hard look at the district budget and determine priorities on spending.

But the biggest area of need is simply setting a mission and a vision and working toward strategic goals, he said.

“I think it’s just below the surface and just has to be brought out, and that is something I will try to do the first couple months,” said Cascadden.

The district will hold a meetand- greet or similar form of welcoming reception in late August or early September around the time that school resumes.

“We’re very pleased to welcome him to the district and are looking forward to working with him as a board and a community,” said Fargo.

A father of four, Cascadden is married and lives in Bristol where he enjoys sailing, golfing and continues to play hockey and other sports with his children.

He is a lifelong resident of New Hampshire, growing up in Littleton and spending only five years out of state to earn degrees.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Dartmouth College, a master of education degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach and a doctorate degree in educational administration from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Before becoming superintendent of the White Mountains Regional School District in 2005, he served two years as director of instruction for the district. Prior to that, he served as principal for Newfound Middle School in Bristol from 1997- 2003.

He was also a visiting assistant professor for the State University of New York Oswego for a year and is an adjunct professor at Plymouth State University, where he teaches research design.

Cascadden is a member of several educational organizations in the state as well, including the Professional Standards Board, North Country Educational Services where he serves as president of the executive board. He is the regional chairman for New Hampshire School Administrators Association in the curriculum and instruction assessment subgroup.