Dr. Robert Dodd has been named the next superintendent of Rio Rancho Public Schools in New Mexico, marking a notable transition for a longtime Montgomery County Public Schools educator of more than 30 years.
According to KOAT7, Rio Rancho Public Schools announced the selection during a special board meeting after narrowing the search to three finalists. Dodd currently serves as director of school leadership and improvement for Montgomery County Public Schools.
District officials said the board gathered feedback from students, staff, parents, and community members throughout the superintendent search process. Dodd’s appointment represents the first leadership change for Rio Rancho Public Schools since the retirement of V. Sue Cleveland, who served as superintendent for three decades after taking on the role in 1994, according to KOAT7.
Before joining MCPS central office leadership, Dodd served as principal of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda from 2018 to 2024. When he took over the role, he became just the fourth principal in the school’s 59-year history, following the retirement of longtime principal Alan Goodwin, who led Whitman for 14 years.
A Montgomery County native and graduate of Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Dodd has spent much of his career within MCPS. His experience includes principal roles at Strathmore Elementary School and Argyle Middle School, both in Silver Spring. He has also held assistant principal and acting principal positions at other MCPS schools.
Dodd’s move to Rio Rancho places a Montgomery County educator at the helm of one of New Mexico’s largest school districts, bringing decades of experience from MCPS into a new statewide leadership role.
