With an unanimous vote, the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board is moving into contract negotiations with Dr. Matthew Strom to be the next Superintendent of Schools. Pending negotiations and board approval of the contract, Dr. Strom will start as superintendent on July 1, 2025 following current superintendent Dr. Andi Fourlis’ retirement on June 30.
Dr. Strom has been with Mesa Public Schools since April 2023 and was promoted to Associate Superintendent in July 2024. He previously served in Arizona’s second largest district, Chandler Unified, as Assistant Superintendent of K-12 Education.
Dr. Strom has dedicated 27 years to public education across roles such as teacher, department chair, director, executive director, COO and CFO. In his recent roles he has focused on creating efficiencies, strategic improvement and strategic planning.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University along with a Master's degree and Doctorate (Ed.D.) from Northern Arizona University. Dr. Strom has been married to his wife Marcia for 24 years. They are loving parents of three sons: Zavian (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Quentin (Case Western Reserve University), and Elijah, a high school senior.
Over 4,000 community members consisting of parents, staff and community members responded to a survey about their desired qualifications in the next superintendent. The Governing Board named the three finalists on November 25. All three finalists endured a two-day interview process consisting of forums involving community members, staff and family members, student dinner, school tours, a live Q&A, written activity and interviews with the Governing Board. Learn more about the Superintendent Search process at mpsaz.org/SupSearch.