Meet the New Faces of the GHAEA Board

   On October 24, Green Hills AEA swore in two new board members, Connie Maxson and John Gambs.
 
Connie comes to us with a diverse educational background, having been a teacher, media specialist, curriculum specialist, superintendent, chief administrator, and DE bureau chief. She will be serving District 2 as Director, a position previously held by Julie Wilken. Connie grew up in Coon Rapids, Iowa. She enjoys traveling, reading and scrapbooking. Connie earned three degrees from Iowa State, which contributed to her deep rooted love for Cyclone Nation. She warns, "I can withstand working in Cornhusker country!" Connie and her husband, Leon, have one son, Larren, who lives in Denver with his wife. Connie has always had a love of knowledge and a desire to learn something new with each and every day. She finds personal alignment with the efforts Green Hills displays in uniting a diverse group of students and adults throughout rural Iowa. Ensuring that all students continue to have the best possible opportunities to learn and grow is a top priority of Connie's, going into this role. Connie shared that often times changes in leadership can present various challenges for an organization. She believes the board can serve as a stabilizing factor during that time, and she is excited to be a part of that. "I've had many opportunities in the Iowa educational system and want to give back in a way that can help students and staff in our state," she stated.


John Gambs was raised in Dunlap, Iowa. He is married with two daughters, one step son, and two step daughters- all adults. John recently retired from Red Oak CSD, where he taught high school social studies and history for the last 39 years. Now retired, John is looking forward to traveling, playing golf, and reading. Like Connie, John's passion for education is driven by a life-long love of learning. "Sharing that interest, especially through social studies and history, with others has been a major part of who I am," he shares. John has taken over the Director role for District 6, following the recent retirement of Ken Lee. John stated that he has known several board members who considered their service to be highly satisfying. When he saw an opportunity to become a member of the board, he seized the moment. John finds Green Hills unique in the way it serves a combination of urban, county seat towns and rural schools. "Serving the diverse needs is a special challenge," he said. John is looking forward to having the opportunity to work towards finding solutions to today's challenges in education such as declining enrollment and decreasing revenues. He says that because of his background, his perspectives and viewpoints are often derived from different avenues than others on the board, a quality he intends to use to everyone's benefit.




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