Pamela Tieszen(’87) Hired as Superintendent
Source:Lancaster Online
Board members at Lancaster Mennonite School unanimously accepted a search committee’s recommendation to hire Pamela Tieszen, vice president for institutional advancement at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.
Tieszen, 52, will formally start Jan. 1, 2017 at Lancaster Mennonite, which has about 1,500 students across five campuses: Lancaster, Kraybill, Locust Grove, New Danville and Hershey.
“I’m really excited about making the move and serving in the community there,” she told LNP in a phone interview.
Tieszen has more than 20 years of combined educational and administrative leadership experience.
Working with younger students is not new to Tieszen, who previously served as superintendent, principal and board member at Freeman Academy in southeast South Dakota. She’s also taught classes such as social studies, physical education and science classes and served as vice president of the executive board of Mennonite Secondary Schools Council.
“The opportunity to be part of an educational system that integrates Anabaptist values with education and activities is what pulls me back to this level,” she said.
Tieszen received a bachelor’s degree from UJ in 1987 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. She’s enrolled now in a doctoral program in educational leadership at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
The school is also currently undergoing an accreditation review.
That process, said Tieszen, “provides a special opportunity to evaluate the school’s strengths, identify goals for improvement and celebrate the success of the school system.”
Andy Dula, who chaired the search committee, praised Tieszen’s credentials, saying she “has demonstrated a lifelong devotion to educational leadership, particularly Anabaptist Mennonite education.”
