Rio Rancho Schools Appoint Maryland Educator, New Superintendent Begins March

At a visibly emotional board meeting on Wednesday December 18, 2025 the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education unanimously selected Dr. Robert "Robby" Dodd to succeed Dr. Sue Cleveland as superintendent. Dodd, an administrator with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, was one of three finalists in a national search and will be the second superintendent since the district was established in 1994. His first day will be March 1.

Board members and administrators expressed strong support for the hire during the meeting. Dr. Cleveland, who founded the district when it opened, congratulated Dodd and pledged a smooth transition. “This is a wonderful team… I really hope you enjoy the superintendency in Rio Rancho as much as I have,” Cleveland said, her voice breaking as she congratulated Dodd and pledged a smooth transition. Dodd thanked the board and community and said the moment was personal. "Dr. Cleveland, I'm emotional, too," he said. "This is a big night for me."

The selection ends a high profile search process that included public engagement and meetings with stakeholders. The five member board emphasized the need for steady leadership to maintain progress in classrooms and to reinforce trust with families and staff. Dodd outlined priorities that will guide his early months in office, focusing on honoring the district's past, building current systems, and inventing future approaches that prepare students for graduation and beyond.

Local implications are practical and immediate. A superintendent shapes hiring decisions, budget priorities and district strategy, all of which affect classroom programs and property tax allocations. With a national administrator stepping into a district with three decades of institutional history, parents and employees will watch early budget proposals and curriculum plans for signals about continuity and change.

The board meeting included community members and photographs from the session. With a clear timeline for transition, attention will now turn to the superintendent transition plan, the upcoming budget season and Dodd's public engagements with schools and community partners in the months before he takes the helm.