Grinnell-Newburg Board of Directors Names Finalists for District Superintendent
January 16, 2026
GRINNELL, IA — The Grinnell-Newburg Community School District Board of Directors has announced four finalists for the district’s next superintendent following a comprehensive review process with staff at Grundmeyer Leader Services.
The four finalists are Lisa Glenn, Ken Kasper, Joel Martin, and Derek Philips.
Lisa Glenn is the current interim superintendent of the North Linn and Central City Community School Districts. In this role, she has led both districts through leadership changes and guided staff while prioritizing the delivery of a high-quality education to hundreds of Iowa students.
Additionally, Glenn has served in special services director roles in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Ankeny, and Marshalltown. She also has experience serving as the regional special education director for the Iowa Department of Education and as an interim middle school principal for the Tipton Community School District.
Ken Kasper currently serves as superintendent of the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Community School District and the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School District in Iowa, both high-performing districts. In this shared role, he focuses on sustaining academic success and expanding advanced academic and career pathway opportunities. More than 65 percent of graduating seniors in the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Community School District participate in college-level coursework or career programs.
Previously, Kasper served as superintendent of the East Union Community School District and the Murray Community School District. He also has experience as secondary principal, athletic director, as well as a science teacher, and alternative school teacher.
Currently, Joel Martin serves as the principal of Westwood Elementary School in Ankeny. In this role, he designed and oversaw a program that supported students’ academic, social and emotional, behavioral, and mental health. As a result, Westwood Elementary’s Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) English language arts scores increased from 78 percent to 86 percent, while its ISASP math scores increased from 83 percent to 86 percent.
Martin previously served as the elementary associate principal and later as co-principal of Perry Elementary School in Perry. He also has extensive experience teaching reading and English language arts to multiple grade levels.
As principal of Davis County High School in Bloomfield, Derek Philips leads a staff of 55 staff members and 380 students across grades 9-12. He has developed and implemented expansion of work-based learning opportunities for the district, as well as collaboratively developed professional development opportunities and strengthened staff retention. Philips has also developed and implemented a walkthrough form that provides instant feedback to teachers.
Philips previously served as superintendent of the Pekin Community School District, principal of Columbus Elementary School in Chariton, and associate principal of Liberty Elementary School in Ottumwa.
As a next step, the board and stakeholder interview teams will conduct formal interviews with each finalist on Wednesday, January 21. The board then plans to discuss each candidate and reach a final decision soon after the formal interviews.
The next superintendent will begin leading the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District effective July 1, 2026.; however, he/she will have the opportunity to be part of decision-making for the district between finalist interviews and officially starting on July 1.
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