Connie Kliewer, Ph.D.

For over 30 years, Dr. Connie Kliewer has been serving the Special Education community. Connie is the Director of the Center for Special Education Services for the NEWESD 101 region which includes 59 school districts. In her role as a School Psychologist, Connie realized the benefits that services can provide students. This realization led to taking on more active administrator roles, including serving as a Special Education Director and Federal Programs Director in West Valley School District and Superintendent of Tekoa School District. The experience of these roles prompted Connie’s doctorate in Organizational Leadership with a focus on being a servant leader; the positions demonstrated a need for servant leaders, which Connie responded to. Thus, paired with her educational background, Connie’s professional trajectory grew to include her current role as the NEWESD 101 Director for Special Education Services.

As the NEWESD 101 Director, Connie ensures Special Education compliance for the 60 representative districts of NEWESD 101. Though Connie now serves a vast set of districts and communities, her heart is intricately tied to her small, rural hometown, Tekoa, where she lives with her family and enjoys baking for the community. It could be said that her connection to Tekoa is the foundation for her service, while the students’ and related stakeholders’ needs are her driving force, though this is unnecessary as it is evidenced by her relentless commitment to serving and supporting others.