Meet GHAEA board's new president, Ken Lee

Ken Lee

Keeping GHAEA in the forefront is a goal of new board president Ken Lee. He believes GHAEA is “the leader in the state”, due in part to our staff and board members who take on active roles in state and local organizations and committees. 
     Maintaining that leadership is one of his priorities for the board, along with the agency's two goals which are to “reduce the IEP and non-IEP reading gap from 51 percent to 26 percent” and “reduce the IEP and non-IEP math gap from 46 percent to 21 percent.”

     “Our board is unique. We have very little controversy and we make hard decisions,” Lee adds. He credits the agency’s leadership for making it “easy” to serve. “They keep us well informed and it is a great group to be around," he said."We always keep the well being and love of students in the forefront.”

     Lee was elected president at the board’s annual meeting on Oct. 25. He has served on the board since Oct. 1994, representing Director District 6 which comprises the districts of East Mills, Fremont-Mills, Hamburg, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Sidney and South Page. Marland Gammon, Director District 7, was elected vice president.

     Education has always been a priority in the Lee household. Lee met his wife, Marilyn, while both were attending Iowa State University. He earned degrees in Animal Science and Ag Education, and she in Home Economics Education. They both went on to pursue teaching careers. Sadly, Marilyn passed away on April 11, 2016, just a little more than a month away from what would have been their 50th wedding anniversary.

     Lee has three sons and six grandchildren, all in the Des Moines area. Mark is a graduate of Florida State University and is a software tester for General Dynamics. Brian and Chad are both graduates of Simpson College and the University of Iowa. Brian is a financial accounting analyst with Principal Financial and Chad works in database management.

     Lee strongly believes that it is important to stay active. One of his favorite past times is officiating high school sports. He is proud to say he has reached the 45-year mark as an official for high school varsity football. In addition, he serves as a 4-H youth program assistant and a federal crop adjuster. He also operates a U-Haul franchise and sells antiques in Shenandoah.