Paul A. Turnbull, superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District in California, has been named the new president of Mid-Pacific Institute, the school announced Thursday.

Turnbull, who has 12 years of experience in education administration in California public schools, will begin his new position in July.

"I’m really looking forward to the fact that I’ll be working in a school community that goes from (kindergarten through 12th grade) in one singular process," Turnbull said in a phone interview Wednesday. "In the public school system, many entities have a hand in education … but at Mid-Pacific Institute the thing I’m most looking forward to is the feeling of family and the understanding that everything we do to create a culture of excellence has to do with the way we work with each other."

He will replace President Joe Rice, who has led the school for 17 years, overseeing its transition from a boarding school for grades seven through 12 to a K-12 college preparatory school. Rice announced his retirement in July.

A 13-person search committee appointed by Mid-Pacific’s board of trustees selected Turnbull from a pool of more than three dozen applicants and three finalists.

"Coming to our Manoa campus from being the superintendent of the competitive Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District in California, Dr. Turnbull has the breadth and depth of experience to lead the school forward, building upon its traditional strengths," Kenneth Kupchak, chairman of Mid-Pacific’s board of trustees, said in a news release.

Born and raised in Toronto, Turnbull earned two bachelor’s degrees from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. He has a Master of Education from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Mid-Pacific is a private college preparatory school with an enrollment of 1,550 students from more than 15 countries.