Anoka-Hennepin School District Selects New Superintendent

The Anoka-Hennepin School District has selected an internal candidate to oversee the state’s largest school district.

The school board gave unanimous support to Greg Cole, the district’s chief operations officer, to fill the top role. The Anoka-Hennepin School District serves roughly 38,000 students and 248,000 residents.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity and ready to get to work,” said Cole in a statement. “I’m committed to the students, staff, and the communities we serve in Anoka-Hennepin. I live here, have built my career here, and this is the only superintendent job I would ever want.”

Cole’s experience in the district goes back more than 30 years. He started as a classroom teacher in 1995 at the former Sandburg Middle School in Anoka. Cole also served as a high school wrestling coach for six years. He later transitioned to administrative roles, starting as an assistant principal at Northdale Middle School in Coon Rapids.

His current role, chief operations officer, oversees more than 6 million square feet of district infrastructure and multiple departments, including student transportation, child nutrition, communications and safety and security. 

Cole will replace Superintendent Cory McIntyre, who announced in March plans not to seek renewal of his contract.

The new leader will likely be faced with challenges. At the end of 2024, the district grappled with budget constraints and job cuts. The Anoka-Hennepin School is also split along ideological lines.

The selection of Cole will be made official following the successful negotiation and board approval of an employment contract. He is scheduled to take over the new duties July 1.

The school board conducted a search that involved internal and external candidates, initially attracting 10 applicants. Three semifinalists were invited for interviews before Cole’s selection.

A national executive search firm, Hazard, Young and Attea, assisted the district in the search process.

The Anoka-Hennepin district features several schools in the CCX coverage area. They include Champlin Park High School in Brooklyn Park, Jackson Middle School in Champlin and several elementary schools — Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and Environmental Science in Champlin, Monroe Elementary in Brooklyn Park, Evergreen Park Elementary in Brooklyn Center and Oxbow Creek Elementary in Brooklyn Park.

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