Dr. Kurt Steinhaus was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and has dedicated his career to education and advocating for the diverse population of New Mexico students. Dr. Steinhaus currently serves as Secretary of Education (Designate) for New Mexico. His Bachelor’s degree is in music education. He has two Masters Degrees, a Master of Arts in Music and a more recent Master of Science in Educational Technology from the University of Oregon. His Doctorate, from the University of New Mexico, is in Educational Leadership and Organizational Learning.

His prior appointment was Superintendent of the Los Alamos Public Schools. He has also served as director of student programs, education, workforce development, scholarships, and community giving at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Steinhaus has also served as New Mexico Deputy Secretary of Education, PreK Czar and Education Policy Advisory for Governor Bill Richardson. Kurt and his wife Jo Beth are fortunate to have wonderful children and several grand-dogs. Daughter Valerie is a software engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Their son Kent, married to Katy, is a hydrology engineer in Colorado, and Katy is an electrical engineer.