Who is Martin Wesemann?

Currently the director of advanced technology at Pella Corporation, Martin Wesemann is a candidate for the Pella Public Schools Board of Education in the election to be held September 13.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for many years in various locations for Whirlpool Corporation, his last being in Nashville, TN, where he also earned a Masters of Business Administration from Vanderbilt in 1998. He moved on to the Viking Range Corporation, but while in Mississippi began searching for a company whose total competitiveness system was a closer match with his personal value system. He sought out Pella Corporation in 2005, where he advanced to his current position.

Martin and his wife, Natalie, have two sons in the Pella Public Schools, and a third now in college, "doing very well," Martin said, "and I'm convinced it's because of the preparation he received in Pella. One of the reasons we came to here," he continued, "was because of the high academic standards in the schools. Coming from a state with the worst possible educational system, the opportunities in the schools here are tremendous, even for a small school. In Mississippi, if you weren't into football or basketball, there was nothing for the boys. There's a wonderful breadth of opportunity here. I am really happy to be here."

Wesemann has been on the board of the Pella Opera House for five years and is on the building committee for Habitat for Humanity. He also serves as a supervisor of the volunteer workers. He works closely with Pella high school teacher Mark Goodrich to involve the construction trades classes in building the Habitats for Humanity. "Volunteers work on Saturdays, but it's the students who work during the week. They learn how to build a house literally from the ground up." The third of three Habitat Homes is under construction at the corner of Prairie and Oskaloosa Streets in Pella. He participates in the Pella High School Booster Club, and serves on the advisory board for the University of Northern Iowa's teacher education program.

Wesemann is also heavily involved with the schools because of Pella Corporation. "Part of my job is that I am responsible for engineer development," he explained. "Looking ahead, Pella Corporation is trying to be proactive. That is, seeing a large number of IT and engineering personnel coming to the end of their careers, Baby Boomers who will be retiring in the next 5-10 years, we see it as becoming increasingly difficult to compete for their replacements." In 2006 he began to get involved in the STEM Educational Coalition (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which is dedicated to ensuring quality STEM education at all levels.

The PEERS program in the high school (Professional Engineering and Educational Resources for Schools), the Iowa Math and Science Coalition, and Project Lead the Way, all programs Wesemann is involved with, are basically programs seeking to improve math and science education in the schools, to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from the educational systems. In many cases they are collaborations between the public schools, higher education institutions, and private enterprises such as Pella Corportion. Wesemann has been instrumental in securing matching program grants from Pella Corporation and 3M, and Project Lead the Way is now in its third year in this school system.

Wesemann has also been selected to be part of Leadership Iowa starting in October, a statewide program (similar to Leadership Red Rock on a local level) that selects 20 candidates per year to learn about state government, grant writing, the functions of Chambers of Commerce and various business organizations. "There'll probably be a session on school boards, too!" he said. "The object is to expose you to a lot of different areas and see if there is a match with an interest area for you. It's really about preparing people to take on state-wide service responsibilities."

Wesemann is running for the seat being vacated by Jennifer Palmer because he is - obviously - committed to quality education. "There's a lot of change going on now with a new superintendent and principals, and a lot of senior teachers leaving. I'm not so interested in making changes as I am in maintaining the high expectations of teachers and parents for the students, in continuing to maintain and build upon a quality school system."

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