Board Members
Sabrina Shields-Cook, President
Elected to the Board in 2019, Sabrina Shields-Cook has lived in Ames since 1989 and is a 1996 graduate of Ames High School. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Iowa and M.A. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication from Iowa State University. Sabrina is currently an Academic Adviser at Iowa State and previously worked in communications for a research institute on campus. She and her husband Nathan have four children in the Ames Community School District.
Committees: Policy, Audit and Budget, Mental Health, SIAC
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Michelle Lenkaitis, Vice President
Elected to the board in 2019, Michelle Lenkaitis has lived in Ames since 2008. She has a BS in Economics from Northern Illinois University and an MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois. She has worked for Iowa State University since 2012 and is currently the Manager of Custodial Services for Facilities Planning and Management. Lenkaitis also worked with the US Department of Labor for over 20 years in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She and her husband, Vic, have four children: Charlotte, Oscar, Sadie and Zach.
Committees: Audit and Budget, Teaching and Learning, Mental Health, SIAC
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Brett Becker, Director
Dr. Allen Bierbaum, Director
Bierbaum has lived in Ames since 1994, and is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Priority 5. He received his Masters and PhD in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University and has remained engaged in the community through a variety of groups. He currently serves as the vice-chair of the Ames Parks and Recreation Commission, and has been a member of Iowa Innovation Council, and Leadership Ames Class 29. Allen and his wife Lora have three children in the Ames school system.
Committees: Equity, Facilities, Ames Education Foundation
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Alisa Frandsen, Director
Elected to Board 2015, Alisa Frandsen is an Ames resident since 1999. Currently a stay-at-home mother, Frandsen is the former Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Greek Affairs at Iowa State University. Frandsen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, Secondary Education Certificate (1997) and a Master of Higher Education degree (2001) from Iowa State University. She and her husband Matt have four children: Ali, Meredith, Joey, and Grant.
Committees: Equity, Policy, Facilities, Legislative Representative
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Amy Erica Smith, Director
Elected to the Board in 2021, Amy Erica Smith has been an Ames resident since 2012. Amy Erica is an associate professor of political science at ISU, and a Carnegie Fellow. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA in community and regional planning from Cornell University, and a BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas Austin. She and her husband, Tibi, have two children.
Committees: Teaching and Learning, Audit and Budget, Ames Education Foundation, County Conference Board
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