AEA 267’s Board of Directors volunteer countless hours of their time each year to ensure that every Iowa student, family and educator served by our agency receives excellent service. Please join us in honoring our board members and consider sending a thank you note, email or making a phone call to one of the incredible members of our board. They deserve our appreciation!
Get to know the board…
Roberta Kraft-Abrahamson, Director District 1 – Vice President
Roberta is a retired AEA 267 employee, having served as a special education coordinator and social worker. She has been a member of our board since 2002. Roberta and her husband, Steven, reside in Forest City where she has been actively involved in a number of community boards.
Dr. Debra S. Rich, Director District 2-President
Deb is the assistant director of the Jacobson Center Curriculum and Instruction program at the University of Northern Iowa. She has been on AEA 267’s board since 2009, serving as president for the past two years. As part of her career in education, Deb also served as a reading consultant with AEA 267. Deb and her husband, Gil, live on a farm near Sumner.
Dr. George North, Director District 3
George is a retired dentist who has served on our board of directors since 1999. He has been a leader for the Boy Scouts, served on the Allison school board, and continues to be active in professional development around the country. George was very instrumental in the development of Wilder Park east of Allison. George and his wife, Lois, live in Allison.
Dr. Darshini Jayawardena, Director District 4
Darshini is the director of the Lifelong Learning program at North Iowa Area Community College and has been a board member since 2011. She recently completed her doctorate through Capella University in Minnesota. Darshini and her family live in Mason City where her husband is a physician with Mercy Medical Center North Iowa.
David Giese, Director District 5
David is a retired educator and has served on the AEA 267 board since 2010. He is an artist whose photography has been exhibited in the area. He is also an avid reader. David and his wife, Mary, live in Marshalltown.
Maureen Hanson, Director District 6
Maureen is currently employed with the John Deere Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls and was elected to the board in 2015. She enjoys running and has completed a number of marathons. She and her husband, Leonard, reside in Hudson.
Richard Vande Kieft, Director District 7
Richard is retired from John Deere and has been a member of the board since 2008. He served for 31 years on the Cedar Falls school board and resides with his wife, Judy, in Cedar Falls.
Bryan Burton, Director District 8
Bryan works for the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier and joined our board in 2013. He and his wife, Mary, have three children and live in Waterloo, where Bryan is active on a number of community boards.
Dennis Craun Jr., Director District 9
Dennis served in the United States Marine Corp for six years and was elected to AEA 267’s board in 2015. He is also a barbershop quartet singer with the Proud Image Chorus in Waterloo. He and his wife, Pam, live in Waterloo with their two teenage children.