Chris Knutsen has been an English teacher, coach, and administrator for 31 years.  He became Superintendent of Florence Unified in April of 2017.  He was previously Assistant Superintendent for FUSD from 2013-2017.   Prior to that, he was Principal at Florence High School for five years.  He has spent time in the Apache Junction School District, Chandler Unified School District, and Tempe Union High School District, prior to working for Florence Unified School District the past 10 years.  Mr. Knutsen received his Bachelor’s Degree from Iowa State University, with an emphasis in secondary English.  He received his Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership.  He and his wife, Angie, have three children; Kylene, Haley, and Jayce.   

Denice Erickson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University in Sacramento, California. While at CSUS she studied International Business and Finance and minored in Spanish. After college, she returned to Arizona in 2002 due to a unique teaching opportunity that presented itself with her former high school Spanish teacher.
Though she never planned to enter the education field, she discovered a passion for education and teaching and has been in education ever since. Denice earned a Master’s of Education from the University of Phoenix in 2003, and a Master’s of Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University in 2014. She taught Spanish for six years in the Apache Junction Unified School District, and  has served in the Florence Unified School District over the last 13 years in various capacities, both high school and K-8 levels.  Her roles included teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, principal, and Chief Financial Officer.
In her free moments, Denice enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband and two children. It is her kids who have helped her to maintain perspective over the years when it comes to the diverse learning needs of students. Taylor, 25, and Dylan, 18, have inspired her to continually work to make sure that ALL students obtain the education they need and deserve in order to reach their full potential. We should give all learners the same sense of urgency and compassion that we afford our own children.

Tony Jimenez was raised right here in Florence, Arizona.  He attended Florence Elementary, Florence Junior High and, in 1973, graduated from Florence High School.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Arizona, he accepted his first teaching assignment at Santa Cruz Valley Union High School in Eloy, Arizona.  After two years at SCVUHS, he accepted a Biology/Chemistry teaching position and Varsity Baseball Coach at his alma mater, Florence High School, in the Fall of 1980.  He has remained with the Florence Unified School District ever since and has served in the capacities of teacher, coach, Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal, and Principal, Interim Superintendent, Director of Personnel, and Assistant Superintendent.  He received his Masters of Education in Educational Leadership in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2000.  Tony has served as an Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services since 2003. 

As an educator, he believes that teachers have the most important occupation on earth, as society places the most important resource, our children, into our hands to mold and shape them into productive members of society.