Steve Vanderhoff

Background

About Steve Vanderhoff

Steve Vanderhoff is an experienced educational leader and operational strategist with a passion for transforming student outcomes. Currently serving as Senior Director of Operations for Buckeye Community Schools under the New Leaf Organization, Steve oversees the daily operations of multiple campuses, providing direct support to principals and regional directors. His leadership focuses on alignment, transparency, and servant leadership, ensuring every school remainsrooted in NLO’s mission to serve students from challenging backgrounds.Before joining NLO, Steve spent over a decade in the business sector as adistribution manager before making a pivotal career shift into education. Hebegan in a self-contained classroom supporting students with emotional andbehavioral challenges—an experience that revealed his passion for working withstudents who were underserved in traditional education.Steve went on to co-found and direct Rushmore Academy, a dropout preventionand credit recovery school that served hundreds of students and became a model for career-tech programming. He later worked as an Intervention Specialist at Townsend Community School before helping launch NLO’s first campus duringthe COVID-19 pandemic.A former wrestling and baseball coach and avid marathon runner, Steve bringsdiscipline, empathy, and a heart for the underdog into every leadership role. Hebelieves deeply that every student—regardless of their circumstances—deserves opportunity, advocacy, and hope.Contact:svanderho@buckeyecs.org