After 13 years, the Menlo Park City School District’s chief business and operations officer is leaving, the district has announced.

Ahmad Sheikholeslami will leave his role at the end of October to become assistant superintendent of business services in the Pleasanton Unified School District, a larger K-12 district closer to his home, according to a Sept. 25 press release from the district. He begins his new job on Nov. 1.

“In Ahmad, Pleasanton Unified is inheriting one of our community’s best resources,” Superintendent Erik Burmeister said in a prepared statement. “This is a great opportunity for our friend and we wish him all the best in his new adventure, but he will be missed. His thirteen years in the district in his many different roles will leave a legacy far longer than the time he spent with us.”

Sheikholeslami said in an email that it's been "a pleasure and honor to serve the Menlo Park/Atherton community and be part of such a wonderful school district that has made positive impacts in the lives of our children."

Sheikholeslami joined the district in 2006 to manage and oversee new construction and modernization projects, which included building new Hillview Middle School and Laurel School Upper campuses, according to the district website.

By 2012, most district construction projects were completed. At this time, Sheikholeslami’s role expanded to overseeing the district’s maintenance, grounds, facilities, transportation, technology and emergency planning, according to the district.

In December 2014, he was promoted to his current role, which includes overseeing all of the district’s finances and operations.

During Sheikholeslami’s tenure, the district’s enrollment grew by about 670 students, or 30%, according to the press release. Sheikholeslami maintained the district’s Triple A credit rating and saved taxpayers nearly $30 million by refinancing bonds over the past decade, the district said.

Sheikholeslami is known to all who work with him for his kindness, attention to detail, and spirit of collaboration, the press release states.

The district will plan the process to fill Sheikholeslami’s position over the next few weeks, said Parke Treadway, the district’s public information officer, in a Sept. 25 email.

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