Gena Clounch takes her role seriously as a trustee at Allen Community College.
With every vote, Clounch considers the ripple effects.
How will it affect the students? The faculty and staff? And just as importantly, what about the county’s taxpayers and other constituents?
There are some particularly meaty decisions coming down the pike that Clounch hopes to be a part of in the coming months, provided she wins re-election to Allen’s trustees board in the Nov. 7 general election.
Clounch is one of five hopefuls, along with fellow incumbent Vicki Curry and challengers Roger Campbell, Alana Cloutier and Corey Schinstock, vying for three seats. (Campbell is a write-in candidate.)
Clounch discussed her philosophy, as well as her guiding principles that feed her decision-making as she completes her inaugural four-year term.
“A lot of it is common sense,” Clounch said, but with an ability to anticipate and shape coming trends.
Today’s ever-evolving educational climate is radically different from when Clounch and older sister Teresa graduated in the 1980s, and when her father attended what was Iola Junior College a generation prior, when the school was still on the third floor at Iola High School.
And what’s favored today likely will continue to evolve for future students.
And as higher education places added emphasis on career and technical education, Allen must be at the forefront, Clounch said.
In many ways, it already has.
The college is one of the educational partners involved in a $1.9 billion microchip manufacturing facility in the works in Coffey County. In addition, Clounch points to the college’s work to provide instruction for B&W Trailer Hitches in Humboldt, one of the county’s largest employers.
It’s also worth noting the college’s reach extends well beyond Allen County’s borders. The school this fall counts students from 39 states and 35 countries, as well as Puerto Rico.
CLOUNCH, who works at St. Luke’s Health Systems in the medical coding office, has had a hankering for public service for years.
She served on the board of directors for the Healthcare Foundation for Greater Kansas City, which is now the Health Forward Foundation, created by the sale of Health Midwest to HCA in 2002. (Health Midwest leased Allen County Hospital at its old site at the intersection of First Street and U.S. 54 until the HCA deal in 2002.) On top of that, Clounch served on the Iola Public LIbrary board.
