Most Influential: Maria Goodloe-Johnson

Focused on goals and always on message, Maria Goodloe-Johnson appears most concerned with making a difference, and achievement is clearly her bottom line

Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson [ Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools ]

No one would say it’s been an easy ride for Goodloe-Johnson, 51, who took the helm of the often beleaguered Seattle Public Schools in 2007. Described variously as brisk, decisive, lacking warmth but focused on goals and always on message, the district’s top official appears less concerned about making friends than with making a difference. To date, she’s crafted a strategic plan for the district, announced school closures and leaped over controversy in getting a new math curriculum approved. Her biggest surprise? The amount of focus given to a change in school starting times. The school-bell issue, she says, “is not what really impacts achievement.” And achievement is clearly her bottom line. “Academic gains for all of our students,” she says, is her top goal for the coming year.