Benjamin “Ben” Shuldiner is the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. He most recently served as Superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan from 2021 through January 2026. 

During his tenure in Lansing, Ben led the district through a period of measurable academic, operational, and financial improvement. Under his leadership, the district achieved significant gains in graduation rates (+26 percent) and attendance (+13 percent), and realized a net increase in student enrollment for the first time in decades. He also strengthened the district’s fiscal position through increasing the fund balance by more than $40 million and establishing a new investment fund to generate ongoing revenue.  

Prior to his role in Lansing, Ben held several prominent system and policy level leadership roles. He served as a Dean’s Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer in Education Leadership at Hunter College, City University of New York, where he directed all School and District Leadership programs. In 2015, he was appointed to the New York City Board of Education, the largest school system in the nation, serving more than one million students.  

In 2016 and 2017, Ben was elected President of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the nation’s largest professional education organization, representing more than 125,000 education leaders and practitioners across 138 countries and 52 affiliate organizations. 

Earlier in his career, Ben served as the founding principal of the High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, New York. Under his leadership, the school was named one of the top 50 high schools in New York City by the Daily News and received a Bronze Medal from U.S. News & World Report.  

Ben has also consulted nationally and internationally to support school systems in strengthening leadership and improving student outcomes, including partnerships with the BI Norwegian Business School BI in Norway and education systems in Bangalore and Coimbatore, India. 

Ben comes from a family of educators and education leaders. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and science from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a Master of Science in Education from Baruch College. 

Ben looks forward to immersing himself in Seattle and partnering with students, families, staff, and community members to make Seattle Public Schools the nation’s single best urban school system.