Heartland AEA 11
6500 Corporate Dr.
Johnston, IA 50131-1603

www.aea11.k12.ia.us

NEWS RELEASE

12/23/05

Contacts:
Earl Bridgewater, Heartland AEA Board of Directors, (515) 285-5258 or (515) 224-4811 Steve Jones, Heartland AEA Communications, (515) 270-9030 or sjones@aea11.k12.ia.us

PORTLAND, ORE., ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
NAMED NEW HEARTLAND AEA CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

JOHNSTON, Iowa - Maxine Kilcrease, assistant superintendent of the Portland, Ore., Public School District, will become the new chief administrator at Heartland Area Education Agency, effective July 1, 2006. She was named to the position Dec. 23 by the Heartland AEA board of directors.

"I'm very excited about the new position," Kilcrease said. "Heartland is a premier organization, from the quality of its board, to the quality of its leadership to the quality of its staff. I want to build upon Heartland's record of achievement."

"We are pleased to have someone with Dr. Kilcrease's vision and reputation leading our area education agency," said Earl Bridgewater, president of the Heartland AEA board. "Dr. Kilcrease has a record of building lasting relationships to improve the teaching and learning process. We are pleased she has chosen to join our agency."

At Heartland AEA, Kilcrease will oversee 700 full- and part-time staff members who provide educational services and programs for 126,000 students and 12,000 educators throughout central Iowa.

Kilcrease has been assistant superintendent of the Portland school district since 2003. She also served three years as the director of Special Education, Grant-in-Aid Programs, and Talented and Gifted at Portland Public Schools, a district of about 53,000 students.

Before coming to Portland, Kilcrease was Director of Special Services and later a middle school principal for the Gresham-Barlow School District in Oregon. She also worked for the Oregon Department of Education, was an instructor in the Special Education Department at Western Oregon University and was an elementary school teacher.

Kilcrease holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Oregon, an M.S. from Western Oregon University and a B.A. from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.

Heartland AEA's current chief administrator, Wayne Rand, is retiring June 30, 2006 after 16 years as the agency's top official. Kilcrease will be Heartland AEA's fourth chief administrator since its inception in 1975.

Heartland AEA, with its main office in Johnston, has the largest student enrollment of Iowa's 12 area education agencies. Heartland provides educational services and programs for preschool children, students, educators and families in 11 central Iowa counties. The agency serves 54 public school districts and 32 state-accredited nonpublic schools.

-30-