Ames Community Schools
Dr. Paula Vincent is the interim superintendent of Ames Public Schools, a one-year position through the 2021-2022 school year. She is a highly regarded public school administrator with over 30 years of educational leadership experience. Prior to Ames, she served as the Chief Administrator at Heartland AEA and has held other superintendent positions across Iowa.
Dr. Jeff Hawkins is the Assistant Superintendent of Ames School and has served the District since 2019. As an educational leader, Hawkins has experience with building staff commitment to achieve a district’s mission and vision, curriculum implementation, leveraging professional learning communities to improve instruction and assessment practices, and building the capacity in staff to improve student learning.
Eric Smidt is the Director of Communications for the Ames Community School District, a position he has held since 2017. Under his leadership, Ames Schools has completely revamped their communication and brand strategy that now includes a greater social media presence, a quarterly Amazing Magazine, as well as a District podcast. He has been a resident of Ames for 18 years and earned his Master's degree from Iowa State University.