An Experienced Leader in Education
While not necessarily indicating an endorsement for the 2024 campaign, here are some testimonials that highlight Chad's qualifications and legislative accomplishments:
Students Must Come First!
You're not alone if you feel our public schools aren't serving our students. Parents, students and teachers across Washington state want change.
Chad will bring the focus back on students, treat parents as partners, demand accountability for taxpayer dollars, and insist on academic achievement and student success.
Chad is the only candidate who's been in the trenches as a public school teacher, a state legislator and education policy leader, and a tech executive. He is uniquely qualified to make the changes we need in our schools.
About
Bio
Chad Magendanz (pronounced like Häagen-Dazs) served two terms as state representative for the 5th Legislative District, which comprises the eastern third of King County. He was elected to caucus leadership his first year and served as ranking Republican on the House Education Committee and as a member of House Higher Education, Technology and Economic Development, Appropriations and Rules committees. Previously, he served as the Issaquah School Board president and in leading roles of other regional and statewide education-related committees and boards. After almost unseating the incumbent state senator in 2016 with 49.7% of the vote, he’s now running for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Chad has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Central Washington University. He served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years as a nuclear submarine officer and then worked at Microsoft for over 20 years in various roles. He joined Voter Science in 2017 as its Director of Product Development and has also been teaching computer science full-time in the Bellevue School District since 2019. He and his wife of 35 years reside on Tiger Mountain and have two boys who recently graduated with CS degrees from MIT and the University of Utah.
Welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to visit my website and learn more about my 2024 campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
As an officer in the U.S. Navy, I pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic…and I am still delivering on that promise today. I see challenges to our cherished way of life in the decline of student achievement, the erosion of local control and parental rights, and promotion of partisan political ideology in our classrooms.
During my career at Microsoft, I personally represented the company to U.S. senators and congressional staff, state attorneys general, hundreds of Fortune 500 CEOs, and thousands of industry insiders. As president of the Issaquah School Board, I represented the school district’s 17,831 students and 59,358 voters and supervised its $294 million annual budget. And as a computer science teacher, I now see public education from the trenches while hundreeds of students pass through my classroom every year with their own unique stories and priorities.
For two terms I represented the 5th Legislative District as Ranking Minority Member on the House Education Committee and a lead negotiator for the McCleary remedy, which resulted in the State increasing its K-12 funding over 8 years by 105% while also easing the tax burden on 44% of districts by reducing net school levy rates. I was also prime sponsor of the charter school funding fix in the House, which along with our McCleary remedy was ratified by the Supreme Court in 2018.
For more details on my extensive policy work, check out The Magendanz Minute video series or watch my interview with Brandi Kruse on the [un]Divided podcast.
Please allow me the opportunity to continue to support and defend our public schools once again in Olympia.
Resume
In an era of hyper-partisan politics, Chad has earned a reputation for building bridges. An education champion in Olympia, he formed bipartisan coalitions passing landmark legislation on computer science education, innovative schools, electric vehicles, and cybercrime.
Education
Master of Arts in Teaching
2019 - 2021
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Alternative route to certification with endorsements in Computer Science and Technology Education. First to pass edTPA during COVID lockdowns. (3.961 GPA)
Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
1985 - 1989
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
College scholar program and full-ride Navy ROTC scholarship
Public Service
State Representative
2013 - 2017
Two terms as state representative for the 5th Legislative District, home to over 150,000 in the eastern third of King County, including Issaquah, East Renton Highlands, Maple Valley, Black Diamond, Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie, and North Bend through Snoqualmie Pass. Elected to caucus leadership (Asst. Floor Leader) in 2013.
- House Education (2013–17, Ranking Member from 2014–17)
- House Appropriations (2015–17)
- House Technology & Economic Development (2013–17)
- House Higher Education (2013–15)
- House Rules (2013–15)
- Assistant Minority Floor Leader (2013–14)
- Technology Services Board (2013–17)
- Joint Legislative Systems Committee (2013–17, Chair from 2014–16)
- Joint Select Committee on Article IX Litigation (2014–17, Co-chair from 2015–17)
- Quality Education Council (2013–15)
- Career Education Opportunities Joint Legislative Task Force (2013–17)
- Education Accountability System Oversight Committee (2013–17)
- Legislative Task Force on School Siting (Co-chair, 2015–16)
- Governor's Work Group on Education Funding (2015–16)
- Education Funding Task Force (2016–17)
Major legislation passed:
- HB 1813 (Computer Science Education) - Republican co-sponsor w/ Rep. Drew Hansen
- HB 1472 (Computer Science) - Sponsored committee substitute w/ Rep. Drew Hansen
- HB 2375 (Cybercrime) - Prime sponsor, speaker at NCSL 2016
- HB 1853 (Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) - Prime sponsor
- SB 6248 (Coal Transition) - Republican co-sponsor of House companion bill
- HB 2382 (Alt. Routes to Teacher Certification) - Prime sponsor, amended in full to SB 6455 (Teacher Shortage)
- SB 6194 (Charter Schools) - Prime sponsor of House companion bill
- SB 6245 (Near Vision Screening) - Prime sponsor of House companion
- HB 2449 (Truancy Reduction) - Republican co-sponsor w/ Rep. Tina Orwall
- SB 6195 (Basic Education Obligations) - Republican co-sponsor of House companion bill
- HB 2443 (Economic Success Metrics) - Prime sponsor, passed as budget proviso
Awards:
- 2012-18 Outstanding Rating from Municipal League of King County
- 2013-14 Cornerstone Award from the Association of Washington Business
- 2014 Pioneer Educator from Digital Public Schools Alliance
- 2015 Outstanding Legislator from Community Employment Alliance
- 2015-16 Guardian of Small Business from National Federation of Independent Business
- 2016 Crayon Award from Early Learning Action Alliance
School Director
2008 - 2013
Issaquah School District, Issaquah, WA
Appointed and later elected to local school board, providing policy governance for 25 schools and 17,831 students, preparing each to accept the academic, occupational, personal, and practical challenges of life in a dynamic global environment. Served in the following roles:
- Board President (2011–12)
- Legislative Representative (2009–11)
- Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) Legislative Committee (2009–12)
- National School Boards Association (NSBA) Legislative Coordinator for Congressional District 8 (2009–12)
- Washington State Online Learning Advisory Committee (2009–13)
Awards:
- 2012 Board of Distinction from WSSDA
- 2009 Outstanding Advocate from Washington State PTA
Lieutenant, Submarine Service
1985 - 1997
U.S. Navy, Bangor, WA
Thorough knowledge of design and operation of engineering plant equipment including heat exchangers, hydraulic plants, pneumatic systems, steam turbines, diesel engines, lube oil systems, pumps, valves, water chemistry controls, radiological controls, electrical power generation and distribution as well as plant parameter monitoring and control equipment. Implemented extensive maintenance and quality assurance programs for the same systems. Qualified Officer of the Deck, Ship’s Duty Officer, Engineering Officer of the Watch, and Ship’s Engineer.
Professional Certifications
- Washington Residency Teaching Certificate #556012C (through 6/30/2027) with Comp Sci and Tech Ed endorsements
- Idaho Standard Instructional Certificate: #467927945 (through 8/31/2024) with Comp Sci endorsement
- Florida Educator Certificate: #1459265 (through 6/30/2027) with Comp Sci and Eng & Tech Ed endorsements
- Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
- Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE)
- Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
- Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
- Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) in 12 subjects
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS 2019)
- Amazon AWS Academy Educator
- Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) in Visual Design
- Unity Certified Instructor
- Unity Certified Professional: Programmer (UCP)
Professional Experience
Computer Science Teacher
2019 - Present
Bellevue School District, Bellevue, WA
Full-time teacher of AP Computer Science, CS Special Topics, CS Discoveries (Code.org), Python (TechSmart), Media Technologies (Adobe), Digital Technologies (Microsoft) and Mobile Game Development (Unity) at Sammamish High and Odle Middle. District recognized for state’s top four public high schools (Niche 2022 rankings).
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
2017 - Present
Voter Science, Bellevue, WA
Director of product development for political canvassing, fundraising and analytics tools; developer of mobile clients on Android and iOS platforms
Computer Science Teacher
Summer 2021
The Lakeside School, Seattle, WA
Designed and taught Intro to Python (Microsoft) and Mobile App Development (Unity) courses for Lakeside's Investigative Learning Camp, where students entering grades 5 through 8 explore science, technology, engineering, arts, math and writing in hands-on, project-based classes
TEALS Computer Science Teacher
2017 - 2019
Gibson Ek High School, Issaquah, WA
Volunteer instructor for Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS), a program that the Issaquah School Board helped start with Kevin Wang from Microsoft Philanthropies in 2009 that has grown to 650 schools nationwide.
User Experience Manager
2004 - 2019
Jetstream Software, Kirkland, WA
Contract software design and development for the following products:
- Virtual Garage, Bosch Automotive
- In-Flight Entertainment Concepts, Panasonic Avionics
- Luxor Live Traffic Monitoring System, BlueMAC
- Space Needle iPhone App, Space Needle, LLC
- Threat Modeling Tool, Microsoft (Security Development Lifecycle)
- Security Basics, Dev Ops, & Threat Modeling Courses, Microsoft (IEB Security Assurance)
- File Server Admin Console, Microsoft (Server)
- Robotics Developer Studio, Microsoft (Robotics)
- Genuine Rewards Program, Microsoft (Channel Marketing)
- Windows 8 Shell & App Store, Microsoft (Windows XDR)
- Microsoft Surface 2.0, Microsoft (Surface)
- Microsoft CRM Online, Microsoft (Microsoft Dynamics)
- Consumer Kiosk, MOD Systems 2/08–4/09
- NextWeb Home Page Components, Microsoft (Developer and Platform Evangelism)
- Supernova, Syntrix Biosystems
- Microsoft Business Systems Demos, Microsoft (Microsoft Dynamics)
- Nike+ Sportband, Nike
- Rave CRM, Entellium
- WebIRIS Incident Management Client, Iomedix
- Desktop Deployment Tracker, Microsoft (MacBU)
- Video Performance Tuner, Microsoft (eHome)
- Windows Vista Audio/Video Configuration, Microsoft (WAVE)
- CereVision Stroke Diagnostics, Digital Partners
- Windows Vista Audio Effects, Microsoft (CMPT)
- Deployment Tool, Microsoft (Hosting)
Awards:
- 2008 SIIA Codie Awards, Finalist for Best Software as a Service Solution
- 2007 BusinessWeek IDEA Awards, Bronze for Interaction Design
- 2007 SoftwareCEO Software Innovation Awards, Most Innovative SMB Infrastructure Software
Program Manager
1995 - 2004
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
Responsible for overall design and project management for the following products:
- Windows Vista, Windows Hardware Innovation Group
- Windows XP, Windows User Experience Team
- Office 2001 for Macintosh, Macintosh Business Unit
- Office 98 for Macintosh, Macintosh Business Unit
- Encarta Online, Reference Business Unit
- Encarta 97 (Mac), Reference Business Unit
- Bookshelf 1996-97 Edition (Mac), Reference Business Unit
- Exploring Planetary Worlds (Win), Lifestyles Business Unit
- Frank Lloyd Wright (Mac), Lifestyles Business Unit
As QA Lead:
- Cinemania 95 & 96 (Mac & Win), Lifestyles Business Unit
- Music Central 96 (Mac), Lifestyles Business Unit
- Wine Guide (Mac & Win), Lifestyles Business Unit
- Ancient Lands 1.0 (Mac), Lifestyles Business Unit
- Art Gallery 1.0a (Mac), Lifestyles Business Unit
Awards:
- 25th Annual Telly Awards (2003), Bronze for Film/Video
- Microsoft DesignDay 2004 Awards, Most Innovative Design
- Microsoft DesignDay 2003 Interactionary Competition, Winner
- PC World 20th World Class Award, Best Operating System
- BusinessWeek Best Products of 2001
- Comdex Eighteenth Annual Awards for Technical Excellence
- Macworld Best New Software Product of the Year
- MacUser Editor's Choice Awards, 2 Winners & 3 Finalists
- Macworld World Class Awards, 2 Winners & 1 Finalist
- Apple Design Awards, 2 Finalists
- Microsoft Patent Awards, 20 Total
Contribute to the Campaign
“The hard truth is that successful political campaigns spend a lot of money to communicate with voters. The special interests in Olympia need to know that citizens stand up for their principles with both their votes and their financial support.” — Chad
Want to write a check?
Download the Contribution Form to support Chad's 2024 campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction. If your company requires an EIN for tax reporting purposes, our IRS Form W-9 is also available. Note that political campaign contributions are NOT tax deductible.
Make checks payable to:
Citizens for Chad Magendanz
Please send your check to:
Citizens for Chad Magendanz
P.O. Box 607
Issaaquah, WA 98027
For the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, please also include:
For contributions over $25:
- Name
- Address (street, city, zip)
- Phone
For contributions over $100:
- Employer
- Employer Address (city, zip)
- Occupation (or student, retired, unemployeed)
Maximum contribution amount is $2,400 per individual, PAC, union or corporation per election, for a total (combining primary and general election) of $4,800. Couples can contribute twice these amounts.
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Issaquah, WA 98027
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