Joseph M. Ernst

Superintendent of Washoe County School District

Joe Ernst has been an active member of the Northern Nevada community for more than 25 years. He has held the positions of teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, area superintendent, and Chief Continuous Improvement Officer. Throughout the entirety of his career, he has demonstrated exemplary leadership and academic excellence within all educational capacities.

Mr. Ernst has been honored with numerous awards, including the Reno Gazette Journal Best in Education, Washoe County Teacher’s Association Distinguished Performance Award, WCSD Inspiration Award for Exemplary Inclusive Practices and WCSD Principal of the Year. As a principal, he led Anderson Elementary School to being recognized as one of only nine Shining Star Schools in Nevada.

Mr. Ernst graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan with a bachelor’s degree of science in elementary education. He also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix.