“Liz has done terrific work in a variety of roles for our school district, and will be a great, new educational leader for the Cowles community,” said Dr. Nancy Sebring, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools.

 

Cowles is Iowa’s only public Montessori school, serving nearly 350 students from preschool through 8^th grade.

 

“I am very honored and excited to have this opportunity to work with a great staff and student body at Cowles,” added Mashek. “Cowles provides a unique educational choice for families in Des Moines, and I’m looking forward to providing our students with a first-rate educational opportunity.”

 

Mashek joined Des Moines Public Schools a decade ago, spending six years as a literacy leader, reading recovery teacher, and dean at Jackson Elementary School. She spent three years as the dean of students at River Woods Elementary School before becoming the school improvement leader at Callanan Middle School. Mashek has also spent several years as a teacher and a dean in the district’s ELL summer program.

 

Before joining Des Moines Public Schools, Mashek was an educator, focusing primarily on reading, in Pekin (IL), Muscatine and Ankeny.

 

Mashek received her BA in elementary education from the University of Northern Iowa. She also holds an MS in reading education from Illinois State University and an MS in educational leadership from Drake University.