Dr. Marchand was born and raised in North Huntingdon, PA, and is a graduate of the Norwin School District.  Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy, volunteered for submarine duty, and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.  During his six-year tour of duty, he traveled extensively through throughout the Pacific to places such as Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, The Philippine Islands, Guam, and Hawaii.  In 1990, he was on the third submarine to circumnavigate North America.  This trip included a winter under-ice transit of the Bering Sea, surfacing through the ice at the North Pole, a stop in Norway, and a transit home through the Panama Canal.

Dr. Marchand is a 1994 graduate of Penn State and received a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Elementary and Kindergarten Education from the university.  He holds a Masters of Education (MEd) in Curriculum and Instruction from Gannon University which he completed in 2000.  Further study at Gannon resulted in K-12 Principal (2004) certification and a Superintendents Letter of Eligibility (2009).  In 2020, Dr. Marchand completed his Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Administration from Point Park University after successfully defending his dissertation entitled, “A Quantitative Study of the Impact of Professional Learning Communities on Standardized Test Scores in Low Socioeconomic Schools in Western Pennsylvania.”

Prior to coming to the Kiski Area School District in 2008, Dr. Marchand served the Woodland Hills School District for twelve years as an elementary teacher and junior high assistant principal and principal.  Since arriving at Kiski, he has been the principal of several schools including Washington, North Washington, and Laurel Point elementary schools.  He has been the principal of Vandergrift Elementary which was subsequently renamed East Primary School since 2010.

In his spare time, Dr. Marchand is active in local veteran’s organizations and is a member of the VFW Post 781 Honor Guard which renders military honors at veteran’s funerals throughout the area.  He also enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, and gardening.  He has two adult children, Dominic and Taylor, as well as several grand-dogs whom he enjoys spending time with as well.