Laguna Beach resident Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D. was hired as superintendent of the Orange Unified School District, a 42-school district that enrolls more than 29,000 students in Orange and Villa Park.
Hansen, who filled in as the current interim superintendent, previously worked in the district as a deputy and assistant superintendent, says a district announcement.
Of 23 completed applications for the top job, board members concluded they need not look far to find a candidate and made the appointment Dec. 7.
Hansen and her husband David Flores live in Laguna Beach where their son attends Thurston Middle School.
Hansen demonstrated leadership in the interim post, opening schools, developing a collaborative team and managing a literal trial by fire during the Canyon 2 Fire school closures and evacuations in October. She “consistently kept the focus on student learning,” says a statement from board President Alexia Deligianni-Brydges.
