Ankeny School District Names New Coordinator of Special Programs

From an Ankeny school district news release:

The Ankeny Board of Education has approved Ms. Kandi Hensel as the new coordinator of special programs for the 2013-14 school year.  Ms. Hensel will replace Nancy Lehman, who will assume the position of Southview Middle School associate principal next year. 

Hensel previously served as a principal for Hampton-Dumont Middle School in Hampton.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Kandi to our Curriculum and Instruction team,” said Lisa Glenn, director of special programs for the school district.  “Her experiences teaching special education and technology, along with her administrative experience leading a variety of special programs, have prepared her well for this position. We are looking forward to having her aboard.”

"I am very excited to serve the Ankeny Community School District,” Hensel said.  “I look forward to joining an outstanding team of parents, teachers, and administrators as we work together to meet the needs of all students.”

Hensel is in her tenth year as an educator and has past experience as both a middle school special education teacher and a technology teacher. In past roles she has worked on school improvement plans, coordinated special programs at the building level such as At-Risk, Talented and Gifted, English Language Learners and Special Education. 

She also worked to evaluate school climate and culture in terms of bullying, and coordinated and analyzed school-wide curriculum assessments. She has extensive experience with individualized education plans, has worked with specialized reading programs, and was an assistant basketball coach.

Originally from Coulter, Iowa, Hensel is married to Andy, her husband of 10 years.  She holds both a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and liberal arts from Simpson College in Indianola, and a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State University.  She is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the Association for Middle-Level Education (AMLE).

Hensel will begin her new role on July 1.