ASCD's new president is Dick Hanzelka, director of the Eastern Iowa Writing Project at St. Ambrose University. He assumed his office April 4 at the conclusion of ASCD's 2006 Annual Conference in Chicago and will serve until March 2007.
Hanzelka has taught learners from elementary through graduate school. As part of his current position, he supervises student teachers and provides instruction in the teacher preparation program. Hanzelka served as language arts consultant and staff development coordinator for a joint county school system; as director of general education and director of organizational planning at the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency; and as chair of the Education Department at Marycrest International University in Iowa.
He has published a number of articles on educational topics and has presented sessions at local, state, and national conferences. He is well-known for his leadership in helping educators understand the teaching of writing and for his work as a facilitator of planning for school districts, businesses, and nonprofit agencies.
Hanzelka began his career as a junior high school language arts teacher in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He holds a bachelor's degree in English, a master's degree in English education, and a doctorate in English education and curriculum, all from the University of Iowa.
Hanzelka has been active in Iowa ASCD since 1985 when he became a member at-large on the affiliate's executive committee. He served as president-elect and president and became executive director in 1995. He has been an active participant in ASCD's Central Region and has represented his affiliate each year at the Affiliate Leadership Conference. His service to ASCD includes work on the Board of Directors and on a number of ASCD committees. He served as a member of the ASCD Executive Council from 2000 to 2003 and was budget liaison to the Council for two years during that time.