IASB hires new interim director

DES MOINES – The Iowa Association of School Boards, which ousted its director earlier this year, announced Monday that a new interim executive director would lead the organization through the end of the year.

The organization chose Veronica Stalker, who has held a variety of administrative positions in Iowa schools.

Before joining the IASB, Stalker served as co-director of the Waukee Schools Department of Community Education. She was superintendent of Waukee Schools from 1994 to 2005.

Harry Heiligenthal has been serving as temporary interim director after the IASB fired director Maxine Kilcrease.

The organization terminated Kilcrease, saying she was being paid what amounted to $357,000 per year when her salary had been set at $210,000.

Heiligenthal, the organization's leadership development director, called the hire of Stalker a huge step forward.

“It's critical that our staff, myself included, continue our services to districts to share lessons learned and help keep schools strong,” Heiligenthal said. “We have hundreds of local school boards in this state who do incredible work, and they also need support and resources.”

Stalker holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from Iowa State University, a master's degree in educational administration from Drake University and bachelor's degrees from both Graceland College and ISU.

She also served on the board of the Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust for IASB, as president of the School Administrators of Iowa, and on the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

Stalker will be paid $131,212 in salary over the next eight months, along with an additional $11,646 in lieu of health insurance.

A subcommittee of the IASB board helped identify candidates for the job. The board said when they hire a long-term executive director, they will create a more extensive process that includes input from stakeholder groups.