Holyoak to replace veteran, 34-year business administrator
The Millard School District announced its new business administrator last week after school board members unanimously selected a Las Vegas CPA with local ties.
Corey Holyoak was selected from among a dozen applicants interviewed to replace Keith Griffiths, who has held the district’s top finance position since 1987.
Holyoak is scheduled to begin work shadowing Griffiths on Nov. 1. Griffiths officially retires on Jan. 1.
“Everyone here loves you Keith and we hate to replace you,” Superintendent David Styler said at Thursday’s monthly board meeting.
Styler thanked the board for its work selecting a new business administrator, adding “for the record” that he and Griffiths played little role in steering the process.
“The board put a lot of effort into this, a lot of time into it,” he said. “We had absolutely some outstanding applicants…there were so many. The board made this decision unanimously. And, for the record, because of circumstances, I want to say it was only the board. Keith and I only gave input where asked. They made this decision.”
School board member Adam Britt revealed later that Holyoak is Styler’s nephew by marriage. He said that while the relationship represented a small drawback during the interview process, overall it factored little in the final decision since it became clear Holyoak was the best person for the job.
“After his interview, and he left the room, I have sat through many, many interviews through the years…it was unbelievable how good and professional that this man was. He literally blew my socks off. I am excited,” Britt said.
Board member Joyce Barney said all of the applicants—the 12 candidates were vetted by the state board of education first—had some ties to the Delta area, which she said reflected the area’s appeal.
“I was really impressed with all of the candidates that we had…every one of them had a Delta connection,” she said. “For that many people, who are that highly educated, to want to come back to this community and live, when sometimes their first excitement is to get out of here. I think it just reminds us all what great educators and what great people we have.”
Holyoak is a native of Overton, Nevada and a 2000 Moapa Valley High School graduate. He attended Southern Utah University (SUU) for a year before traveling to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for a two-year mission, according to a district press release.
After his mission, Holyoak returned to SUU, eventually graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 2007. He worked for State Bank of Southern Utah and continued his education, earning a Masters of Accountancy degree in 2014, according to the district.
Holyoak moved to Las Vegas in 2014, worked for an international accounting firm and obtained a CPA license two years later.
The pandemic is what brought Holyoak and family to Millard County.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it many challenges; however, for our family it also brought a unique blessing,” Holyoak is quoted saying in the district’s press release. “As Las Vegas schools were forced to close for the 2020-2021 school year, we were fortunate that Jen and our children could stay with her parents in Oak City to allow our children to attend in-person school in Delta.”
Holyoak is married to the former Jen May, a 2004 Delta High School graduate. The couple have four children, Olivia “Livvy,” age 13, Mason, 11, Hayes, 9, and Landry, 6.
Styler and members of the board were asked why their interviews of the 12 applicants was not conducted in a public setting—a concern raised by more than one local official. Styler said if the district were filling a vacant board seat, a public setting for choosing a new board member would be necessary. But, because the business administrator position is purely administrative—this person essentially manages the district’s $41 million annual budget—the hiring process is more akin to that of any other business, done privately, with board members making the selection on the taxpayers’ behalf.
Styler was also asked whether he was concerned about raising any hackles from within the community since the selection involved a family member, albeit by marriage. He said he was prepared for any criticism, but felt the decision was entirely in board members’ hands. He noted the rural nature of the district, which like many such areas is replete with interconnected families, many of them serving in various public offices and capacities. He noted the district has adopted a nepotism policy and that close family members, such as nephews and nieces, are indeed precluded from being hired into such positions—but not in-laws.
Meanwhile, Griffiths, who numbers among a handful of district employees with more than 30 years, is counting down the days to retirement. He is among only a few long-term employees who’s spent his entire time in one position.
It’s a long goodbye of sorts for the business administrator. Board members were effusive in telling Griffiths how much he means to them and the district. Office staff who assist in the district’s financial affairs were brought in to hear the choice for Griffiths replacement.
Several times board members repeated that Griffiths was being replaced, but that he was far from “replaceable.”
Among Griffiths roles during board meetings is keeping the minutes. A number of times members and Styler ribbed him for not being accurate—he was not writing down all the compliments and well wishes he was receiving about shortly starting the next chapter of his life.
In a mumbled response to a cracked-voice expression from Styler, Griffiths told the assembled group that he counts them all as family.
“I love everybody here. It’s a family. We’ve had some pretty good adventures,” he managed to say.
