The Charles City School Board has named three finalists in its search for the district’s interim superintendent, including a candidate currently working in education in Charles City.
Dr. Joel Appelgate is currently superintendent of the Oberlin Public Schools in northwest Kansas and previously served as director of secondary education for Liberal Public Schools in Kansas, and was a superintendent for Cozad Community Schools.
Joseph Brown has served as superintendent of Fairmont Area Schools in Minnesota, and is the interim superintendent of Clear Creek Amana Schools near Iowa City. He previously was superintendent of Grand Meadow Schools and has been a high school and middle school principal.
Dr. Anne Lundquist recently served as chief officer of academic services for Ankeny Community Schools. Before that, she was superintendent of the Red Lake Schools in Minnesota and was a special program manager for the Minnesota Department of Education’s Regional Centers of Excellence. Lundquist is currently a classroom teacher at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Charles City.
The School Board has been working with Grundmeyer Leader Services to conduct the interim superintendent search. The board and administrator interview teams will conduct final interviews with the three finalists on Monday, April 25. The board hopes to make a final decision soon after the formal interviews are completed.
The new interim superintendent will begin serving the school district effective July 1st, taking over for outgoing Superintendent Mike Fisher, who has resigned to become the superintendent of schools in his hometown of Oskaloosa.
**You can read complete candidate descriptions below from the CCCSD:
Dr. Appelgate is the current superintendent of the Oberlin Public Schools in northwest Kansas. There, he has provided leadership in introducing data analysis and a career and technical education curriculum through Trane Technologies, guided the district through the challenges of COVID-19, and initiated a “Community Coffee” series of community events. He previously served as director of secondary education for the Liberal Public Schools in Kansas, and was also superintendent for the Cozad Community Schools.
Brown has served as superintendent of the Fairmont Area Schools in Minnesota, and is also interim superintendent of the Clear Creek Amana Community School District near Iowa City. During his time as a district administrator, he has negotiated contracts with staff, expanded agricultural and career programming, and eliminated projected deficits. He previously was superintendent of the Grand Meadow Independent School District and has experience as a high school and middle school principal.
Dr. Lundquist recently served as chief officer of academic services for the Ankeny CSD, where she led the revision and reintroduction of the district’s strategic plan, implemented a revised principal evaluation system for 18 school leaders, and established quality indicator metrics for the district’s secondary schools. Before that, she was superintendent of the Red Lake School District in Minnesota and was a special program manager for the Minnesota Department of Education’s Regional Centers of Excellence. She is currently a classroom teacher at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Charles City.
