7 candidates interview for Richland school seat, but one stood out
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Daniel Evans appointed to Richland, WA School Board to serve through Nov 2027.
- Board conducted 90-minute interviews from seven finalists after receiving 19 applications.
- Evans brings engineering experience, youth coaching, volunteerism and community ties.
A West Richland father and software engineer was chosen Tuesday to fill a vacant seat on the Richland School Board.
That means Daniel Evans, 50, will take the oath of office Tuesday, Oct. 28, so he can begin serving out the remaining term of Chelsie Beck, the former Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist who moved out of the district for a new job.
The school board voted unanimously, 3-0, at a special meeting to appoint Evans following roughly 90 minutes of interviews. Board member Jill Oldson was absent from the meeting.
Members who chose Evans said he’ll bring unique qualities to the board, and that they were impressed with feedback from individuals who knew him and reached out to the board to voice their support.
“People who spoke to your willingness to volunteer and serve in events and things where your kids are not involved, that is what this kind of a role takes because we’re not doing this for ourselves, we’re not doing this for our own kids,” said Board President Katrina Waters.
The school board received 19 applications to fill Beck’s role earlier this month, but chose to interview just seven this week. Evans will serve through November 2027, but will have the chance that year to run for his first full term.
Board member Rick Jansons reiterated their appreciation for the quality of applicants. They ran the gamut from former board members, to coaches, parents and even former Richland teachers.
“I’d be honored to serve with any of you. The passion that I saw in the love of the district and wanting to help the district was evident in all of the interviews,” he told applicants.
“I’m not planning on running again. I have some years left, but please consider running. Any of you I would support running. You’re all here for the right reasons,” said the board member of nearly 25 years. “I was listening for hidden agendas, in the writing and research we all do when you’re looking at people. I don’t see any hidden agendas other than wanting what’s best for the kids, the district, and the staff and the community.”
School board members do not receive a stipend or salary.
Their main responsibilities include hiring and evaluating the superintendent, setting the vision and goals for the district, reviewing and adopting school policies, passing annual budgets and serving as a representative in the community.
Little league coach and father of 4
Evans is director of engineering at Translation Technologies, a Spokane MCAD software and solutions firm. He’s been with the company more than 25 years.
He’s had three children graduate from Richland schools, and his youngest is an 8th grader at Enterprise Middle School.
In his resume, Evans says he’s “proudly engaged with the families in our community and attempted to be an accessible and approachable leader focused on providing positive experiences for the kids and their families.”
Evans also has a history of coaching student basketball, softball, baseball and football teams. He’s also served two years as board member on the Hanford High School Booster Club.
“I’ve always been interested in the education of our kids and also the space that the school district takes up within our community, and how it interacts with the community and how the community interacts with it, because they’re symbiotic,” Evans said in his interview.
He says he’s a team player in the community, and has a “wide range of interests.” Evans is also vested in the academic and extracurricular activities of students, and is interested in how they help form well-rounded students into productive members of society.
The district plays a big role in sculpting home-grown talent for big employers like PNNL, Evans said.
His ideal school is one where kids are “encouraged to be engaged at all times.” At the same time, Evans believes the biggest space for improvement with the district is improving engagement with families who would benefit the most from it.
“What would I like to see changed within the school district? I’d like to see if there’s any way that we could bring those families, those kids, get them engaged a little more and be more invested in their own future through education,” Evans said.
He says some of his blind spots as a board member will be educating himself on the district’s challenges, their alternative learning options and Robert’s Rules of Order.
Evans holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Washington State University.
