Debbie Dreusicke

[ Learner ] [ Lawyer ] [ Mom on skiis ]

Coming from a family of teachers, Debbie Dreusicke said she has always had an appreciation for education. Her parents and sisters all teach in the Iowa City School District.

Armed with a law degree and experience working as an attorney for nonprofit groups, she decided to volunteer her time with the Iowa City Community School District Foundation.

“I thought I could blend my love of those two areas,” Dreusicke, 38, said. “The Iowa City Community School District Foundation was a good mix of both of these.”

She said her experience with the foundation began when her oldest daughter, Lauren, was in first grade at Wickham Elementary and was paid a visit by an author in the district’s Visiting Author Program, which is funded by the foundation.

“It was really neat to see my daughter come home excited about the illustrations and the writing,” Dreusicke said.

She got involved and in 2008, she was named to the foundation’s board of directors. This past fall, she was named its president.

Since beginning her volunteer work with the foundation, she has helped the board restructure its staff and their roles. She also helped the group hire its new executive director in December.

Dreusicke also has helped the organization increase donations and fundraising campaigns. Much of the money goes to grants for schools to purchase extra classroom equipment, such as digital cameras at City High, and to programs such as the Visiting Author Program.

Since assuming the president’s role, Dreusicke also has been working with new Superintendent Steve Murley and others on programs such as the annual Silver Salute for retiring teachers, expanding development work for the foundation, and creating an academic booster club that would operate in a similar fashion as the athletic boosters do.

— Rob Daniel