The Stillwater Public Schools Board of Education approved the hiring of Robert “Bo” Gamble as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations at an August 9 meeting. In his new role he will oversee district safety and security and supervise the departments of Facilities, Child Nutrition, Transportation, and Technology.
Gamble started with Stillwater Public Schools at Lincoln Academy in 2002, spending four years as a science teacher and coach there. He moved into a science position at SHS in 2006. In 2011, he moved into school administration at Will Rogers Elementary as an assistant principal, then assistant principal at Stillwater Middle School beginning in the fall of 2013. He served as principal at SMS for three years, and has spent the least two years as Director of Human Resources.
“It’s been exciting to take on new challenges in the district throughout my career,” says Gamble. “I appreciate the work, by departing Assistant Superintendent Dana Renner, to get the department to where it is now. She’s moved it forward, and I hope to continue that momentum.”
Gamble says he wants to review projects that have been completed, evaluate current projects, and work to plan out future district needs proactively. “We’ve done some great things to make progress – increased salaries where we can, made some adjustments in staffing, and we’ll continue to make a concerted effort to find the best people we can to fill those roles. We’ll also work to analyze the departments to increase our effectiveness and efficiency. Times are lean, and it’s a challenge to deliver on the needs of our students, but we’ve got great people on board.”
Gamble says he looks forward to working more closely with the support employees and promoting all the things they do to support our students and our teachers. “The areas this position supervises me really excite me,” he says. “I actually have some degree of experience in a lot of these areas. Growing up, I worked construction. I worked for the street department of the City of Stillwater, drove buses as a coach, I even did summer work as a custodian, stripping and waxing floors.”
“I’ll miss working daily with my HR team, and I’m glad they are just down the hall,” he says. “It’s a great department with outstanding employees that support our efforts, and working with them has helped better prepare me for this new role as well.”
Superintendent Uwe Gordon says he was very pleased with Gamble’s interest in the role. “I’ve known Bo Gamble for many years and was so happy to see him apply for this role. I kind of take it as a vote of confidence that he wants to work more closely with me on the daily operations of the district. Now I have moved an outstanding employee from one role to another, which does mean I’ve got another spot to fill, but this is the right move for Mr. Gamble and for Stillwater. I’m confident we are in for great things with him leading Operations.”
Gamble received his masters and bachelors from Oklahoma State University, and he plans to complete his doctoral degree from the university this December. He is married and the father of four children. In his spare time, Gamble enjoys sports, fishing and spending time with his family
