Although he came to a career in education somewhat late, Sean Rickert began teaching through YMCA programs while still a teenager. A fascinating with the workings of government led him first to study politics and then to work in campaigning and government. In 2001, he moved to Arizona and began his career in education. First he worked as a classroom teacher in Round Valley, St. Johns and Pima. Since 2012 he has been the Superintendent of the Pima Unified School District in Graham County. Sean is one of a group of rural education leaders who have pushed to make the Arizona Rural Schools Association the premier rural school support and advocacy association in the nation. He joined the Executive Board in 2014, served as Advocacy Coordinator for two years and was chosen to be President elect in 2021. He is a regular contributor to the association’s quarterly newsletter and cohosts the monthly webinar roundtable. He has represented Arizona at the national level on the Governing Board and Executive Committee of AASA and the Executive Board of NREA. He also represents the rural perspective as the chairman of the Arizona State Board Of Education’s Accountability Technical Advisory Committee and the Department of Education’s School Finance Document Review Committee. Sean lives in Thatcher, Arizona with his wife Cindy. They have three children and four grandchildren.