Jordan School District — which encompasses some of the fastest-growing areas in the state — named a new superintendent Tuesday who has watched the region’s classroom boom for 26 years as a teacher, principal and administrator.

Anthony Godfrey was selected unanimously by the district’s education board to take the helm on July 1. He will be tasked with managing the growing student population at a critical time, as both Utah and the district face a major teacher shortage.

“Parents send us their kids every day, and I feel the full weight of responsibility that comes with this position to see that students are safe and receive a broad array of educational opportunities,” Godfrey said after the announcement Tuesday.

He will replace Patrice Johnson, who had led the district since 2011 and is retiring. She was the first woman to lead Jordan School District, as well as the first to be hired from outside the area.

Godfrey will be the district’s 12th superintendent and second since it split in 2009 when the Canyons School District was formed.

He has worked for the Jordan district for 26 years, starting as an English teacher, then moving up as an assistant principal and principal. He spent the past 13 years as an administrator, including assistant superintendent of schools.

The district has about 55,000 students in 57 schools. It encompasses the cities of Bluffdale, Copperton, Herriman, Riverton, South Jordan, West Jordan and parts of unincorporated Salt Lake County.