By JAMIE BURDORF
Amanda Branson and Craig Lundgren
The Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation recently said good-bye and thank you to two board members, Chuck Offenburger and Alan Armstrong, who had served since the start of the foundation in 2016. The board has also welcomed two new board members, Amanda Branson and Craig Lundgren, bringing board membership back to 11.
Board president Corby Fichter commended Offenburger and Armstrong for their service to the board.
“I want to say a huge thanks to the work and dedication that Chuck and Alan have given to our Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation,” Fichter said. “They have both been on our board since the beginning and have given of their talents and time to help our foundation grow.”
The new board members are faces that are familiar to the Shenandoah community.
Branson is a 2004 Shenandoah graduate. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa (2008) and University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (2020) and is currently working on a master’s from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in Speech-Language Pathology (2024).
Branson is currently employed at Shenandoah Medical Center as personal trainer in the Wellness Center and a Recreational Therapist with skilled inpatients.
Branson married her husband, Dusty, in 2015, and they have a 6-year-old daughter, Bella and a 4-year-old son, Cody.
“I attended the first annual foundation banquet and fell in love with the mission and goals of the organization. I knew I wanted to be a part of that. Education opens so many doors and fuels dreams we never knew possible,” said Branson.
Lundgren is a 2001 Shenandoah graduate who is currently employed as an Application Developer. He obtained a BA in Geographic Information Systems (2005) from the University of Iowa and then earned his Master’s in Applied Science in Information and Communications Technology in 2016 from the University of Denver.
Lundgren and his wife, Jennifer, have three kids - twins Brooklyn (6) and Landon (6) and Evelyn (4).
Lundgren said, “As someone who has benefited from the primary education that I received from the Shenandoah Education system, I feel that it is important to ensure that future alumni continue to benefit from a strong educational foundation. I wanted to be on the foundation board to help provide teachers and administrators with the resources and tools required to prepare students to reach their full potential. My family has a history of working in Shenandoah’s education system, so I wanted to continue that tradition by joining the foundation board.”
Lundgren is passionate about education.
“Education is important because it is key to a better future, establishing a desire to learn allows individuals to continue to grow throughout their lives and prepares them for future challenges," Lundgren stated. “Education should not be a short-term hurdle to overcome, but rather a lifelong goal to continue to improve one’s circumstances. A strong education system provides all students the opportunity to learn and grow, regardless of their background or circumstances, to reach their full potential.”
Branson and Lundgren join current board members Fichter, Star Ann Kloberdanz, Amy Miller, Julie O’Hara, Duane Rexroth, Paula Brownlee, Nick Bosley, Lance Cornelius and Timothy Smith.
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