The Piper Board of Education has named Dr. Jessica Dain as the new superintendent for the 2020-2021 school year.
Dr. Dain, currently assistant superintendent of support services and middle school education for the Olathe School District, will begin her new position July 1, according to the Piper school district.
The Piper school board interviewed three finalists before selecting Dr. Dain.
“The Board is excited about the experience and enthusiasm Dr. Dain brings to our district,” said Jeb Vader, Piper Board of Education president, in a news release. “We believe Dr. Dain possesses the skills required to lead our district as we continue to strive to be one of the elite school systems in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Dr. Dain will work closely with Dr. (Blane) McCann, interim superintendent, to ensure a smooth transition of leadership prior to her arrival in Piper in July of 2020. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Dain to Piper.”
Dr. Dain holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership from St. Louis University, and has a master’s degree in educational administration and a bachelor’s in English and physical education from Emporia State University.
Dr. Dain has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, district-level director, and assistant superintendent in the De Soto, Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, and Olathe school districts during her 25-year career as an educator.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the students, colleagues, and stakeholders of this amazing district,” Dr. Dain said in a news release. “Piper USD 203 has an exemplary reputation in meeting the needs of every child, and I am beyond thrilled to be joining the family of this prestigious and successful district. I look forward to building strong and meaningful relationships with all members of the community as we begin the next chapter of building the future one child at a time.”
Dr. Dain also currently is a commissioner on the Olathe Human Rights Commission and vice president of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund in Olathe, which serves needy children. She also serves on the Johnson County Multi-Disciplinary Committee, the Johnson County Disproportionate Minority Youth Committee and is a board member of the Johnson County Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board. She served on the Curriculum Leaders Advisory Council and the Kansas Redesign Committee for the Kansas commissioner of education.
Dr. Dain grew up in Emporia, Kansas. As a high school student, Dr. Dain was a Kansas Honor Scholar, most valuable player for her league in volleyball and earned all-class and all-state honors in volleyball and basketball.
Dr. Dain’s husband, Dr. Todd Dain, is also a lifetime educator and serves as the principal at Shawnee Mission South High School. They have three children. One child attends Northwest Missouri State University and two children attend Olathe Northwest High School.