Sonoma Valley school district appoints human resources chief

Kristin Ugrin, who has worked in public schools for 29 years, has been selected as the human resources director of Sonoma Valley Unified School District.

Ugrin’s appointment to the position is pending approval by the district’s Board of Trustees at its meeting on Thursday, June 1. She would replace Andrew Ryan, who has held the position since 2019, but is leaving to serve as principal of Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in the St. Helena Unified School District beginning July 1.

She has been serving as principal at Tierra Linda Middle School in the San Carlos School District since 2018. Ugrin has worked in middle and elementary school principal positions for the past 15 years.

While serving as a site administrator, Ugrin has been the administrative representative on her district’s bargaining teams for several years and attended the Association of California School Administrators Personnel Academy.

As a school site administrator, she has provided implicit bias, equity, belonging and trauma-informed practices training for staff, students and school community members.

Jeanette Chien, the incoming superintendent of Sonoma Valley Unified School District, participated in the interview process for the human resources position.

“Ms. Ugrin has the experience, presence and intelligence need to successfully navigate the often-challenging waters of human resources,” Chien said in a news release. “I am thrilled to start this journey with her and the staff of Sonoma Valley Unified School District who will be able to work with Mr. Ugrin.”

Ugrin emphasized the importance of the human resources in school districts.

“Human resources are a vital component to a school district, ensuring our staff — all of our staff — have the tools, care and environment they need to do the best work possible on behalf of Sonoma’s youth,” she said in the news release.

Ugrin said she was drawn to Sonoma because it is a small community that prioritizes safe, inclusive schools.

“There is strong collaboration between staff, students, families and community members to ensure all students can grow and achieve,” she said.

She said her family has wonderful memories of its many visits to Sonoma.

“It’s time to move and join a new community,” Ugrin said. “Sonoma is where we want to be.”

Originally from Illinois, she received a bachelor’s degree in education from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and master’s degrees in school administration as well as reading and English language arts from San Francisco State University.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.