Goose Creek CISD Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Randal O'Brien
Dr. Randal O’Brien has served as superintendent of Goose Creek CISD for the past eight years. O’Brien was named the acting superintendent during the August 7 ,2014 Board meeting and was confirmed superintendent later that year; becoming the 15th superintendent in the 100-year history of the district. He joined Goose Creek CISD a year previously as the deputy superintendent for administrative services.
O’Brien holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from East Texas Baptist University, where he played basketball and tennis on scholarship; a master’s of education in administration from Sam Houston State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Lamar University. His experience includes more than 30 years in education; serving as a CTE teacher/coordinator, assistant principal, campus principal, district administrator, and, for more than a dozen years; superintendent of schools.
Prior to coming to Goose Creek, O’Brien served as superintendent of Hubbard ISD for four years. Among his accomplishments, he was nominated as the Region 12 Superintendent of the Year by the Board of Trustees of Hubbard ISD as well as Region 4 Superintendent of the Year by the Board of Trustees in Goose Creek CISD. He was previously selected as Outstanding Administrator in the Region 4 Excellence in Education Awards as a middle school principal.
O’Brien has served as a panelist for the Region 4 Superintendent Academy; as a measure of giving back to the development of leaders in education. He lives out his educational mantra of “continuous improvement in all that we do,” by continuing his own leadership development. He is a graduate of the Thompson Executive Leadership Academy and continues to sharpen his skills through the Harris County Department of Education’s executive leadership program, Focal Point, designed to examine historical leadership that may be applicable to current day leadership challenges and issues. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the doctoral Educational Leadership program for UH Clear Lake.
He is a local Rotarian and participates in numerous service activities, including serving as a board member for the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center, the Baytown Chamber of Commerce and the GCCISD Education Foundation; among a few. O’Brien has served his community by coaching and officiating for the various Youth Sports Associations, as well as working with the local Boy Scouts of America. He attends numerous annual galas which serve to support philanthropic efforts to enrich lives within the community.
O’Brien and his wife Monica reside in Baytown where she also serves as a Language Arts Specialist, and their son Riley graduated from Robert E. Lee High School and is a student at Trinity University. They also have a son Tyler, a graduate of Baylor University, who resides in Houston and a daughter Kendal, a graduate of Texas Woman’s University who is a registered nurse practitioner. O’Brien enjoys community service events: tennis, cycling, outdoor activities; attending district academic, fine arts and sporting events; and spending time with his family, including his grandsons: Adrian, Eli, and Zeke.