The Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce Sheila King as the Agency’s interim chief administrator. King will temporarily step into the position that was vacated by the resignation of Dr. Maxine Kilcrease.
King is currently the director of district services at Heartland AEA and her background includes being a teacher, a middle school principal, K-12 curriculum coordinator and Supervisor of School Improvement Services at Heartland. Her most recent experience includes developing and implementing a new model of service delivery to the schools that brings supervision of services closer to the schools.
The Heartland AEA Board of Directors, which voted unanimously to select King as the interim chief, believes she will be a strong fit because she understands and believes in Heartland’s mission and vision. She has been a member of the leadership team that developed and implemented the Agency’s North Star Project.
Ann Wilson, president of the Heartland AEA Board of Directors, said she is pleased that the Agency will have an interim chief administrator who is so deeply rooted in the work that has been started at the Agency.
“We needed an interim chief who understood the direction that the Agency has been working toward for the last few years,” she said. “Ms. King is qualified to provide leadership that will help Heartland continue to build upon the great work our staff has already provided. She has the knowledge and skills to work with school boards, superintendents and other stakeholders to increase achievement for all students.”
To fill the opening that will exist from King’s move, Dr. Kilcrease has appointed Dr. Jim Verlengia as the interim director of district services.
“Dr. Verlengia’s strong experience in educational leadership and team building makes him an excellent candidate for this position,” Dr. Kilcrease said.
Verlengia’s background includes being a teacher, principal, superintendent and director of educational services at Heartland. He currently serves the Agency as a partnership director working with the Des Moines Public Schools.
King and Verlengia will both transition into their new positions on July 1, 2009.
