Public service is in Schelling's blood
KSBA executive director wants to elevate what it means to be a school board member
Kentucky School Advocate
October 2017
By Matt McCarty
Staff writer
KSBA’s new executive director, Kerri Schelling, has a passion for helping school board members. It’s a passion that runs in the family.
“The first school board person I knew was my grandfather. I was very fortunate to grow up in a family that embodied what public service is about and, in some ways, maybe that’s where the seed for my interest in public service was planted,” she said.
Schelling’s grandfather served on the school board in Stafford, Kan.
“I understood from the time I was very young what it meant to work on behalf of others because I saw it demonstrated in many ways. I learned the value in doing things for the greater good, not because of any external reward but because it needed to be done. I think part of why I connect with our members so genuinely is because I understand why they do it, and not everybody does,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons I know this is the job I’m meant to do.”