Biography
Chad was appointed to the Issaquah School Board in 2008 and elected in November
of 2009. He served as Legislative Representative from 2009 to 2011 and was elected
as President in December 2011. His efforts on the board have helped the district
maintain high standards despite nearly $16 million in cuts. For the past two
years the district has received the highest rating in the state from the Center
for American Progress for “Return on Educational Investment” (student achievement
per dollar spent), maintaining the lowest administrative overhead in King County
for an average savings of $4 million annually. For the past 3 years, the Issaquah
school board has also been named Board of Distinction by the Washington State School
Directors Association (WSSDA) and maintained clean state audits.
Chad is also serving his second term on the WSSDA Legislative Committee and represents
the 8th Congressional District to the Federal Relations Network of the National
School Board Association. As a 2009 PTA Outstanding Advocate, he was appointed
to represent the Washington State PTA on the state’s new Online Learning Advisory
Committee. He is also a 2011 graduate of both Leadership WSSDA and the Jennifer
Dunn Leadership Institute.
Chad received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University where he majored
in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He served in the U.S. Navy
as a nuclear submarine officer followed by 10 years as a full-time program manager
at Microsoft, where he received over 20 patent awards. For the last 7 years,
he’s been a freelance software design consultant for Microsoft as well as for Nike,
Panasonic and other award-winning local high tech companies.
A resident of the Tiger Mountain community in Issaquah, Chad has been married 22
years to his wife Galen, a materials science engineer at Honeywell in Redmond.
They have two boys aged twelve and fifteen who attend Maywood Middle and Liberty
High School. An avid conservationist, outdoorsman, hiker and triathlete, Magendanz
is a Kiwanis member, GOP precinct committee officer, PTSA legislative representative,
and classroom volunteer.
How do you pronounce Magendanz?
Well, it rhymes with Häagen-Dazs, our favorite
pseudo-Scandinavian ice cream company. The
origin of Magendanz is actually German, roughly translating to "belly dance" (sic). And if you're
looking for a hidden agenda, you'll find it. The word "agenda" is
literally embedded
right there in the name.
Any relation to the folks on Lake Wobegon?
Chad's aunt Felice lived in Minnesota and was
friends with folks who worked with Garrison Keillor on A Prairie Home
Companion, so you'll regularly hear about the antics of the Magendanz family on
Lake Wobegon, where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and
all the children are above average."