Spirit Summer 2020 Edition 11
Vanderheiden took the position in March 2008 and said “it has been the perfect fit for me.” “There’s not one single day that goes by that I don’t learn something significant,” Vanderheiden said. “I really encourage my staff to just step outside of that box, be OK with stumbling and falling. We brush ourselves off and we keep going.” Her family is important to her, Vanderheiden said. She is married to Tim, who has just been hired as the superintendent of schools at McPherson County. They have three children, Sydney, Tyler — who died in 2007 — and William Cole. “For me, family is everything and everything we do as individuals,” Vanderheiden said. “Whether it’s in the workplace or not, it stems back to I do
what I do because of my family.”
and to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to do their work and to feel proud of their work.”
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of pressure to keep folks informed on a daily basis. “What’s important to me is at the end of a long day when I look and reflect back, and I do,” Vanderheiden said. “We’re all human and we all make mistakes every day, and if we don’t make mistakes, we’re not trying hard enough.”
Another question she asks herself is: Did she support her colleagues across the state?
“There’s only 18 directors across our state, and that’s not a lot of people in a state as big as we are,” Vanderheiden said. “Just knowing I have the support of my colleagues and that I’m supporting my colleagues is huge, especially in a pandemic.” She said it is important to her that she can say she did the very best she could to protect the community. “If I can answer yes to those things, it’s been a really good day, no matter how hectic and crazy the day is,” Vanderheiden said.
She said she asks herself: Would her family be proud of her?
“My goal is to be a good leader,” Vanderheiden said. “If I were to walk away at this moment, my hope is that they wouldn’t miss me. “I know that sounds odd. But to me that means I’m leading at the level I need to, because my role is to empower my staff
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online