By: JAMIE BURDORF
Dr. Timothy Smith (left) and Lance Cornelius
The Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation recently said good-bye and thank you to two board members who had served since the start of the foundation in 2016. Jeff Baker and Bruce Baldwin both completed their five-year terms. The board has also welcomed two new board members, Lance Cornelius and Dr. Timothy Smith, bringing board membership back to 11.
Board president Corby Fichter commended Baker and Baldwin for their service to the board.
“I want to say huge thanks to the work and dedication that Jeff and Bruce have given to our Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation,” Fichter said. “They have both been on our foundation board since its inception and have given of their talents and time to help us grow our endowment and recognize successes for students and teachers in our Shenandoah community. They have been instrumental in our beginnings. Well done,Jeff and Bruce!”
Both new board members are widely known in the community.
Smith is originally from Colorado and graduated from Mullen High School in Denver. From there he attended Creighton University and has spent the last three years as an internal medicine physician at Shenandoah Medical Center.
His wife Amanda Schneider is a dentist in Shenandoah, and the couple have two boys, Thomas, 4, and Theodore, 1.
“I wanted to help the school and the kids of Shenandoah in any way possible,” Smith said. “Working with the foundation is a great way to bring new opportunities and resources to our school district. Education is the foundation for the rest of your life. It shapes both the individual and the society.”
Cornelius is a State Farm insurance agent who earned his bachelor’s degree from Missouri Western State University and earned his CHFC designation through the American College of Financial Services. He and his wife Ashlee have called Shenandoah home for the past nine years. They have children Ava, 11, Lillie, 9, and Lincoln, 6.
Cornelius is passionate about education.
“Education in my mind is the great equalizer,” he said. “Doesn’t matter your home life, your financial heritage, or your geographical location, gaining an education will set the course of your future.”
He noted that while some students go on from high school for “a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree in college, skilled trades are just as important and should not be overlooked. However, education must be coupled with a good work ethic for success.”
Fichter is excited about both new board members. “I have no doubt, they will help us continue to pursue our vision to enhance a new excellence for students in the Shenandoah Community School District now and for generations to come,” he said.
Smith and Cornelius join current board members Fichter, Star Ann Kloberdanz, Amy Miller, Julie O’Hara, Duane Rexroth, Chuck Offenburger, Paula Brownlee, Nick Bosley and Alan Armstrong.
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