Tuesday, October 17th at 6:00pm the Waukee Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 2023 Waukee Community School District School Board Forum in partnership with the Waukee Community School District. Take the time to learn more about each of the candidates on the 2023 Waukee Community School District School Board Ballot.
Don’t forget to vote on November 7th!
Wendy Marsh
Wendy Marsh has been a resident of the Waukee District since 1998 and has twins, Darby and Tate, who graduated from Waukee High School in 2020. She is an attorney at Nyemaster Law Firm in Des Moines and practices primarily in patent, trademark and copyright law. She has a great love of the Waukee School District and the Waukee community and currently serves as a member of the Waukee Rotary Club, Waukee Chamber of Commerce, and on the Impact Committee of the Waukee Community Schools Foundation. She has served on the Waukee School Board since being elected in 2019 and would like to carry over her knowledge and experience gained during the last four years to a second term if reelected.
Wendy’s primary goals are to help ensure that all of the students in the District are educated in a welcoming environment and receive the best possible educational experience, recruit and retain the best teachers, and maximize the school finances in furtherance of these goals.
Kate Boonstra
Kate Boonstra’s experiences as a mother, K-12 teacher, professional learning provider, and school-family liaison inform her perspective on education. Together with her husband and two sons, Kate has made the Waukee Community School District home for 15 years.
Kate holds a B.AQ. in Music Education and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in Gifted Education. She has taught at both the elementary and secondary levels, as a vocal music teacher and in Waukee’s Extended Learning Program, so public education is a priority for her both professionally and personally. Kate has served on the Iowa Talented and Gifted board of directors, the Parent Editorial Content & Advisory Board of the National Association for Gifted Children, and at her church on the preschool board and church council.
Decisions made at the board table impact classrooms, teachers, and students. If elected as a board member, having served Waukee students in Waukee classrooms, she will contribute thoughtful and empathetic decision-making with students in mind.
Michael Trettin
Michael Trettin and his have lived in the Waukee district for 14 years, and currently have 2 children in the district – an 11th grader at Waukee High and a 9th grader at Timberline. He is a CPA and Audit Partner and has been a member of the School Board since last December.
Michael is running for the Waukee School Board because he is a firm believer in the benefits of public education. He wants to do everything in his power to support all students, teachers, staff, and administrators. He has enjoyed the work of the School Board for the past 10 months and would love to continue.
As a CPA, he brings a financial background that is a unique benefit to the District. The finances of the District are complicated, and he believes his skills are valuable. He is a current member of the Finance Committee and thinks he has provided useful insights to the District’s financial team.
Overall, he would describe himself as open-minded and rational. He feels he is good at thinking things through and making decisions that will improve the District.
Amy Jepsen
Amy Jepsen’s desire to run for the Waukee Community School Board is fueled by a single, unyielding focus: the well-being and future of our children.
As a former teacher, Amy has a deeply rooted passion for positively impacting young lives, which expanded naturally when she became a mother to four children of her own. This journey led her to immerse herself in various community initiatives, volunteering extensively in Waukee classrooms and their family church. She also became a Title 1 Reading Interventionist, engaged in substitute teaching, and assumed multiple roles within the PTO, all with a singular focus on benefiting the children and educators in our community.
Her commitment to staying actively involved in school activities ensures that she maintains a close connection and understanding of the evolving needs within our school district.
Now, as she aspires to contribute at a governance level on the Waukee School Board, Amy’s objective is to listen attentively and respect the input of parents and the administration. By doing so, she aims to make informed decisions that translate into enhanced educational experiences for every student. Her ultimate goal is to bring a thoughtful and collaborative approach to the educational decision-making process while prioritizing the overall well-being of our children and the growth of our community.
Tami Rubino
After graduating from Iowa State University, I started my career working my way through the ranks as a human resource professional and pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from Drake University. For more than two decades, I held various executive roles in sales, marketing, operations and finance. In 2019, I joined my husband’s software development company, and most recently, I utilized my entrepreneurial skills to start a company called QoreCareers to address the recruitment, training, and talent retention needs of auto dealers.
My extensive professional experience in leadership development, strategic planning, budgeting and interpreting complex regulations will transfer well as a school board member. Additionally, my years leading youth groups at church and my service on the board of Iowa’s Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) ignited my passion for helping students, especially working with them to prepare for the transition from school to fulfilling careers.
My greatest accomplishments and most cherished roles are those of wife and mother. I’ve been married to my amazing husband, Jeff, for 22 years. My daughter Avary graduated from Waukee in 2020. My son Dominic just graduated from Northwest this past school year and my son Gabe is a freshman at Prairieview. Raising three active children in the Waukee school district has given me firsthand insights into the needs and aspirations of the students and families in our district.
