At around 6 ft tall, with graying hair and sea blue eyes, Bob Mistele brings to mind the image of a leader. Well, a leader he is.

On Oct. 4, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) appointed Mistele the district’s new superintendent. Mistele, who had been the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources for four years, replaced Cary Matsuoka after the latter resigned in June to become superintendent of the Milpitas Union School District.

Mistele applied for the superintendent position in August and was interviewed on Sep. 17.

“It was a long day of interviewing,” Mistele said. “I think I was relieved, ecstatic and then tired. All those in one.”

Early life

Mistele, now 57, grew up in Philadelphia with four sisters and a brother. His father worked as a plant foreman, his mother a homemaker. Two of his older siblings also pursued careers in teaching.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, from the beginning,” Mistele said. “It was always something that I had a passion for. I like people and I like being around students.”

Mistele attended a Catholic high school in Philadelphia and then a Catholic college in Pennsylvania, but received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. He received his masters degree and administrative credentials from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

Previous work

Mistele started out as a special education teacher in San Luis Obispo. He then proceeded to teach elementary school at Arroyo Grande for six years, eventually becoming the school’s principal.

Mistele was then asked to start a new middle school near Arroyo Grande. After he planned and staffed this school, he was given an even bigger challenge: to start a new high school, Nipomo High, also near Arroyo Grande.

“I was responsible for all the decisions you think about when you come into a high school,” Mistele said. “School colors. I had to plan everything about the buildings as well, because all the construction was new. It was probably one of the most rewarding and challenging things I’ve done in my career.”

For seven years, Mistele was the principal of Nipomo. He said his greatest benefit from the experience was recognizing the importance of an outstanding staff and “just how important people are in this business.”

“I had a unique opportunity in both situations [the middle school and the high school] to be able to select my own staff,” Mistele said.

Coming to LGSUHSD

Mistele was offered the position of assistant superintendent of human resources of the LGSUHSD four years ago.

“My friend Cary Matsuoka gave me a call, and he said ‘Hey, I got this opening, would you be interested?’” Mistele said. “And at that time, all three of my daughters had moved to San Francisco. So it was an opportunity to be with my family.”

As assistant superintendent of human resources, Mistele dealt with everything from teachers to support staff, parent complaints to dress-code complaints. He also verified the background of every coach in the district.

This July, after Matsuoka’s departure, the board asked Mistele to serve as interim superintendent until it found a permanent replacement. Mistele agreed to the 4-month contract.

Mistele admitted that he began to think about the next step in his career when he became interim superintendent.

“To be honest, I think that it crossed my mind when the board asked me to step in and be the interim,” Mistele said. “I love this district; I love the kids and the adults. It’s just a really easy, good place to work. I think once I got into the position [of interim superintendent], I felt like it [superintendent] would be the next step for me.”

Mistele said that after a month and a half of working as the district’s temporary leader, he found his work enjoyable.

“So I really had the opportunity to test-drive the position,” Mistele said. “And at that point I decided, you know, I’d like to do this. I think I could bring some value to the district.”

Becoming superintendent

In August, Mistele applied for the open position. Although he thought his experience “spoke for itself,” Mistele said he did not at all think he was a shoe-in for the position.

As superintendent, Mistele will earn $185,000, the same salary as Matsuoka’s.

Mistele said his new position has not at all changed the way he looks at his colleagues; he still views everyone in the district as an equal.

“We’re all equal partners,” Mistele said. “[Being superintendent is] an awesome responsibility, and I realize that. I come into it humbly, and I know that I need the expertise of everyone around me in this business to be successful.”

Moving forward

Mistele said that he would like to see the Los Gatos and Saratoga High Schools collaborate more closely in the future.

“They’re two distinctly different high schools,” Mistele said. “That’s OK. There’s no reason to force the high schools to be the same. What we’re talking about as an administrative group is to get our teachers to start talking to each other a little more, so they can collaborate on common curricular concerns.”

“We have to get out of our bubble a little bit and learn a little bit more about each other,” Mistele said.

The application of technology to the classroom also interests Mistele.

“[We should] try to make sure we take another good look at 21st century learning skills,” Mistele said. “Social media, and the use of social media with our students, is another area I’m intensely interested in.”

Finally, Mistele looks forward to meeting more students as superintendent than he did as an assistant superintendent. He also plans to start student advisory groups at both schools.

In his years as principal at Nipomo High, Mistele held monthly meetings with students.

“Whenever I’m on this campus, if you want to talk to me about anything, feel free,” Mistele said. “I’m accessible.”