Linda Henke retired as an award-winning superintendent of Maplewood Richmond Heights, a St. Louis inner-ring suburban district that for years had been plagued with the same problems found in many urban environments. In the twelve years Linda led the district, it moved from being labeled one of the worst schools in Missouri and on the watch list for state take- over, to one of the most dynamic and innovative districts in Missouri. Linda is the author of numerous articles and book chapters. In recent years she served on over ten executive and advisory boards including emints National Advisory Board, Webster University’s and Maryville University Department of Education Advisory Boards, and the Executive Board of the Kaufman Foundation’s Superintendents’ Forum. Linda’s leadership work has been featured in The Heineman Reader; in the Field Book for Educators: Building Learning Organizations, edited by Peter Senge, and AASA’s Panasonic Foundation publication for outstanding work with systems thinking. After the superintendency, Henke founded the Santa Fe Center for Transforming Schools and consulted with schools nationally and internationally until she retired in 2023. In 2012 she developed Open Books: Open Minds, a literacy program for Guatemalan first and second graders in an effort to combat the low literacy rate in the country. Currently the program serves over 1500 Guatemalan students a year. Henke organized a group of her friends to begin the El Salitre Women’s and Children’s Center in 2015, and together they developed the program that is growing today.

• BA in English, University of Northern Iowa

• MA in Public Relations, Iowa State University

• PhD Ed Leadership and Curriculum Design