RFSD welcomes new COS/PIO

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

Jonathan Landon moved to New Castle in September 2022, when he was still working remotely as executive director for City of Hope, a world-renowned comprehensive cancer treatment and research center in Duarte, California.

The move to Colorado came after he and his partner, Shannon, who lives in Carbondale, decided the long-distance arrangement wasn’t for them.

He recalled that, after the move to Colorado, “I was hopeful that I'd be able to find a job in the general area of where I live now. I wasn't sure if that would be possible, so I was exploring diverse possibilities.”

That job search would lead Landon to become the newly-hired chief of staff (COS) and public information officer (PIO) for the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD). His first day on the job at RFSD offices in Carbondale was Monday, July 24.

When asked what drew him to the RFSD job, Landon said, “My initial attraction was the ability to engage in the community in making a difference in students’ lives. Then, when I came across the district’s mission statement, it resonated with me: ‘To ensure that every student develops the enduring knowledge, skills and character to thrive in a changing world.’” Landon, by the way, quoted that mission statement verbatim.

He has a bachelor of science in business management and marketing from the University of Phoenix. While working in the corporate world, he served as a police chaplain for 20 years with the Monrovia Police Department in

California and as a volunteer counselor with various hospice organizations.

Those experiences of helping people move through challenging situations are fundamental to who Landon is as a person. He said, “I was deeply engaged in the community when I did that work, in addition to the work that I did in my career in corporations. I was hoping to find something that would meld together that type of experience, where there was deep meaning and the ability to drive change. I've seen the great work that's taken place so far in the school district, and I'm looking forward to taking that to the next level.”

Colorado is a definite change for Landon, who was born and raised in California and spent his career working in the Greater Los Angeles area. Previously, he worked as a chief of staff for executives at Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company, and City of Hope.

Three of his four adult children live in Southern California, while his oldest child lives with her husband in Las Vegas. An avid hiker, he grew up trekking the densely-populated foothills around Los Angeles and appreciates the open surroundings on Colorado trails.

In a July 14 announcement about Landon’s hiring, RFSD Superintendent Dr. Jesús Rodríguez stated, “Members of the review and interview committees noted some of Jonathan’s strengths as having a clear grasp on strategic planning. He emphasized the importance of defining success and having measurable goals while providing several great examples, and he shared a very clear, tentative timeline and communication plan for our upcoming strategic planning process. He is a trained and experienced

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Landon said of his predecessor Kelsy Been’s tenure, “Kelsy was great in paving the road, so to speak, for me to hit the ground running. She did great work and advanced this role, starting as the PIO and taking on the chief of staff role.”

A few months after Landon moved here, he did a very Colorado thing — he got a dog. She is a Goldendoodle named Daisy, who is now 8 months old and “is just a crazy bundle of joy,” he said. Recently, he and Shannon picked up a companion for Daisy; an 8-week-old kitten named Quincy. The pup and kit are scheduled to have their first playdate soon.