CAPE ELIZABETH – The second time was the charm for the Cape Elizabeth School Board, which named its new superintendent, Wednesday morning following a repeat round of resume vetting.

By a unanimous show of hands, the board voted to hire Meredith Nadeau, a director of instruction from the Oyster River School District in Durham, N.H. Nadeau, 42, will relocate to Maine with her husband and two young children, with her first day on the job slated for July 20.

Dr. Kenneth Murphy, former superintendent of the Yarmouth schools, will continue as interim superintendent until Nadeau takes over.

The three-year contract approved by school directors includes a base salary starting at $123,000.

That’s $10,000 more than was paid to Cape Elizabeth’s last full-time superintendent, Alan Hawkins, who retired in December.

“It’s market value,” said School Board Chairwoman Mary Townsend, referring to Nadeau’s compensation. “I’m excited about her fresh perspective, what it can bring to the district, and how that will energize and motivate our staff, our students and even our community.

“I think she’s the visionary we were looking for,” said Townsend.

The initial search for Hawkin’s replacement netted no candidate suitable to the school board and, in March, the district launched a do-over.

Both searches yielded the same number of resumes, 33, with the second batch drawing applicants from 18 states. According to Townsend, 10 finalists from the second round were interviewed for the open position, which will lead a 200-strong staff and a student enrollment of “about 1,700.”

“The pool did seem stronger the second go-round,” she said, immediately after the announcement, at an 8 a.m. special school board meeting. “In terms of the process, I would say the board really took an active role in the second search. We started doing our own head-hunting, looking for districts that might have up-and-comers and rising stars.”

Nadeau began her career in education 18 years ago, starting out as a special education and language arts teacher, before moving into administration as both an assistant principal and a principal. She has been in her current position in Durham, N.H., since 2008, where, in addition to director of instruction, she wears hats as director of special education, data assessment, humanities curriculum and professional development.

Nadeau earned her bachelor of arts from Bowdoin College and holds a master’s degree in education from the University of New Hampshire. She is a doctoral candidate at Boston University.

“She’s very energetic,” said Townsend. “Her intelligence is extraordinary. She motivates others by being so highly motivated herself.”

“Meredith Nadeau has the credentials and experience for the position,” said the search committee co-chairman, Michael Moore, who, with fellow School Board member Mary Williams-Hewitt, conducted a site visit of Nadeau’s New Hampshire district.

“The visit confirmed her commitment to student learning,” said Moore. “She has a very clear philosophy of who and what the schools are here for. It was refreshing that this was a consistent theme no matter who we spoke to.

“She generated remarkably consistent and extremely positive feedback – both from those who’ve known her for years and those in our district who’ve met her as part of the search process,” said Moore, who went on the site Nadeau’s “inner calm.”

“She has fantastic interpersonal skills,” he said. “She doesn’t get ruffled. I think part of that reflects her experience in special education.”

In a press release issued after the announcement, Townsend thanked Cape Elizabeth residents for their interest in the superintendent search.

“From the beginning of our search process, the Cape Elizabeth community has voiced a desire for a leader who steers all students toward a life-long curiosity and love of learning – a person with energy and passion for continuous improvement,” she said. “We believe that Meredith Nadeau exceeds these expectations.”

“From the outset of this search, it was clear that the School Board and district stakeholders were looking for that unique individual who could create an exciting vision for the district,” said Jackie Roy, the search consultant hired by the board to assist them in the search. “It was also clear that they would accept nothing less than a superintendent who was ready and able to explore new ideas and elevate the district to higher standards of excellence for all students.”

“Cape Elizabeth is clearly a dynamic community with a strong value for education,” said Nadeau, in a statement released Wednesday. “I look forward to meeting and working with district staff, parents, and community members during the coming months and years to sustain and build upon the excellence that already exists in the school system.”

Meredith Nadeau