Fangman, Steele and Subra Join Administrative Team

The Agency welcomes three new individuals to its administrative team, effective July 1.

Kevin Fangman
Kevin has been named the Director of District Services. He will work collaboratively with the Executive Directors of Instructional Services (Sheila King & Cindy Yelick) to coordinate work around the Agency’s priority service areas to ensure equitable and efficient allocation and alignment of agency resources, programs and services with our districts’ and agency’s identified needs. He will be a member of the Learning & Leadership Planning Council.

Kevin was most recently the Deputy Director of the Division of PK-12 Education at the Iowa Department of Education. In this capacity he provided leadership and oversight for the implementation of all federal programs, Iowa Core, Response to Intervention, school accreditation, practitioner preparation and Iowa Learning Online. He also served eight months as Acting Director of the Department, providing oversight of all agency functions. Kevin has experience as an elementary principal, reading consultant at the Department of Education and elementary teacher as well.

He holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Northern Iowa.

Keri Steele
Keri has been hired as the Regional Director serving Region 1 schools Earlham, Interstate 35, West Central Valley and Winterset, the position vacated by Kim Thuente’s retirement. In this position Keri will serve as an administrative partner with her districts to align, deploy and ensure the delivery of agency services, and she will supervise and evaluate staff working directly with her school districts.

Prior to this position, Keri served six years as the Director of Special Education at Southeast Polk Schools, during which time she provided district-level leadership for all areas of special education and collaborated with board members, administrators, teachers, AEA staff, parents and students to ensure all students received a free appropriate public education. She also has experience as an elementary principal and coordinator of special education in the Ames and Grinnell-Newburg Schools and as a teacher in the Ankeny Schools. She was an adjunct faculty member for five years at Grand View College as well.

Keri earned an educational specialist with superintendent certification from Drake University, a K-8 administrative certification from Drake, a master’s degree in special education from Drake and a bachelor’s degree in special education from Northeast Missouri State University.

Kurt Subra
Kurt has been hired as the Chief Financial Officer who will succeed Dave King in this position when he retires. Kurt will be working with Dave, learning all the ins and outs of the AEA system and overseeing the Agency’s financial and business operations.

Prior to joining Heartland, Kurt served six years as the Chief Financial Officer for the West Des Moines Schools and five years as the Chief Financial Officer/Board Secretary for the Ames Schools. He also served in various financial roles at Pioneer in Johnston and KPMG in Minneapolis. He has been an instructor at the Iowa School Business Management Academy and is past-president of the Iowa Association of School Business Officials.

Kurt holds a master’s degree in business administration from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.