At their regular monthly meeting on April 22, the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education announced two superintendent candidate finalists who will move forward in the selection process.
Our finalist candidates in alphabetical order are:
Dr. Adam Frank
Adam Frank currently serves as Palmer Ridge High School Principal. He joined D38 in 2021 after serving three high schools in Ohio. Frank’s experience includes roles as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and career & technical education coordinator. His work at Palmer Ridge is highlighted with many accomplishments including significantly reducing the number of staff vacancies, and positively impacting student academic performance.
Key accomplishments for Frank include co-leading the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force in D38 to create and recommend board regulations to policy, enhancing technology in the classroom by implementing a financial strategy to purchase SmartBoards, and advising district leadership on a financial bonus approach to assist in hiring hard-to-fill positions.
Frank is an active member of numerous professional organizations including the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), and the North American Innovation Advisory Panel. He also founded the CoSpringsCohort, a group of 11 high school principals in the Pikes Peak Region. His leadership has earned professional recognition including being profiled as a “Rising Star” by VoyageDenver and being awarded “Top Coach” for his leadership by The Coach Foundation in 2023.
“A superintendent needs to be visionary and relational, while also being innovative and able to solve challenging tasks. They need to see the big picture, while having resolve that is equally collaborative,” said Frank. “Every job I have pursued throughout my 20-year career has been the next step up, and despite reasons to feel I lacked certain qualifications, decision-makers took a chance on me. In every situation, I’ve delivered and produced measurable results in achievement and success related to building a high-morale culture. As the superintendent, I would have the unique privilege and responsibility to ensure success and continual improvement moving into the future.”
Amber Whetstine
Amber Whetstine currently serves as Interim Superintendent for Lewis-Palmer School District 38. She joined D38 in 2021 to fill the role of Assistant Superintendent. Whetstine began her career as a teacher in Minnesota before relocating to the Pikes Peak Region where she previously served School District 49 in a variety of roles including instructional coach, school administrator, coordinator of school improvement, and executive director of learning services.
Key accomplishments for Whetstine include leading an enterprise-level initiative including purchasing and planning for opening a Career & Innovation Center; engaging a leadership team in the development of a district instructional framework emphasizing the alignment of instructional strategies, data and assessment systems, and curricular resources; and modeling a culture of care, respect, teamwork, and responsibility.
Whetstine has contributed to the development of leaders as an instructor for the Principal Licensure Program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and has presented at numerous professional conferences including for the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment and District Administrators Leadership Institute. In addition, she has participated as an examiner for the Baldrige National Excellence Award, and played a key role in helping School District 49 earn the Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence Award.
“I have dedicated my entire career to ensuring every student has access to an excellent public school education and to developing positive relationships with students, families, and staff in support of this. My ultimate goal is to positively impact the future of our nation by educating, developing, and empowering our next generation of citizens and leaders,” said Whetstine. “My leadership is grounded in a commitment to leading by influence. I have been able to develop credibility, respect, and trust by developing caring relationships with those I serve, by intently listening and by continually following through on my commitments.”
Next Steps
The process for choosing D38’s next top leader will continue with Selection Advisory Committee interviews on Monday, May 5. Interviews with the Board of Education will take place on Tuesday, May 6 at 12:00 p.m. at the D38 Administration Building and are open to the public. The Board plans to offer a contract at their May 19 regular meeting.