Napa County Office of Education
Joshua Schultz
Joshua Schultz was appointed Napa County Superintendent of Schools in July 2025. Josh has been a a member of NCOE’s senior leadership for the past seventeen years, and has served the community with more than 30 years in public education. Josh is recognized across the state as a trusted leader in public education policy and operations. At NCOE, he has led major initiatives such as building the new Camille Creek Community School campus, installation of solar generation facilities and the development of the new Napa Early Learning Center.
Joshua Schultz Appointed Napa County Superintendent of Schools (July 8, 2025)
Learn more at About NCOE
An Educated, Equitable and Thriving Community of Learners
As Napa County Superintendent of Schools, Josh guides the dedicated staff of NCOE to deliver on the mission of providing exceptional services and support to children, families, staff, districts and other external partners. Josh’s leadership has been integral to embedding core values in the work of NCOE, which is evident in the positive and respectful working relationships within the organization and throughout the community.
Josh has played a key role in fostering an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit at NCOE. He supports a creative approach to designing programs and building coalitions that address unmet needs and remove barriers to student success. Josh sees the opportunity to expand services for students in Napa County in areas such as literacy, mental health and wellness, career technical education, inclusive early learning, and school emergency preparedness among others. Additionally, Josh believes NCOE has the potential to enhance professional development and technical assistance services to improve educational outcomes locally, regionally and statewide.
Josh looks forward to working with the local education community to support a common vision for student success across Napa County.
Josh’s Path to Leadership
Josh had an unconventional childhood. At the time of his birth in Washington D.C., his father was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, and his mother was working as a buyer for a department store chain. However, within a year they had divorced, and both left their occupations to pursue “alternative” life paths in the counterculture of the late 1960s. Josh was raised by his mother who moved frequently pursuing various causes and spiritual paths. By the time Josh was 18 he had lived in 13 different houses in DC, Illinois, Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania and California.
While Josh found academic success came easily, he often felt like an outsider moving from school to school, and he frequently got into trouble. In the middle of the fall semester of his senior year in high school he left the school he had been attending in Pennsylvania and moved in with his father for the first time in Pacific Palisades, California. He was attending Pali High when he turned in his one and only college application to U.C. Berkeley. Two weeks later he dropped out of high school.
Josh was working full time at a gas station a couple months later when he got an early acceptance letter from Cal. Realizing that perhaps school was better than pumping gas after all, he checked in with the guidance counselor at Pali High, who informed him that (at that time) Cal would honor the acceptance if he passed the California High School Proficiency Exam, which he promptly did.
In the months before he started at Cal Josh took up the guitar, and by the time he graduated with a BA in Humanities and a minor in Music, he was an accomplished guitarist and singer. His cover band played around the Bay Area for many years. While Josh may have dreamed of being a rock star, the responsibilities of becoming a father not long after graduation led him to seek more stable employment. After selling guitars for a couple of years, he was inspired by teachers in his life, including his mother-in-law and the bassist in his band, to obtain a teaching credential.
Josh began his career as a Social Science teacher with the St. Helena Unified School District in 1993, teaching Government, Economics, and U.S. History. He went into teaching thinking he could perhaps find better ways to engage students like him who were disaffected and disconnected from the school community. Of course, he discovered that teaching is not as easy as it looks, but nonetheless he greatly enjoyed his seven years at St. Helena High School. Josh also coached Mock Trial and Academic Decathlon teams, and his band was a popular attraction at school dances.
Josh went on to serve in numerous education management roles including Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Sonoma State University, and he joined NCOE in 2008 as Director of Development and Compliance. Beginning in 2009 Josh was elevated to Chief Business Official, and appointed Deputy Superintendent/Chief Business Official in 2014.
Josh earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco, and he received his Single Subject Social Studies Teaching Credential from Dominican College. He holds an Administrative Services credential, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation from CFA Institute, and he is a graduate of Leadership Napa Valley.
Josh and his wife Jane have three adult children, as well as two adored grandsons. Josh is dedicated to his daily morning swims at Napa’s In-Shape gym and backpacking trips around the globe.
The Superintendent establishes policies and administrative regulations as needed to manage the County Office of Education personnel, and is responsible for implementing the policies of the Office of the Superintendent.
When reviewing NCOE policies, note that “SP” indicates a Superintendent Policy, and “BP” indicates a Board Policy.
NCOE Policies (external website, new window)