Nelson Appointed to Fort Dodge Community School District Board on Friday

Photo submitted by the FDCSD

The Fort Dodge Community School District has a new board member following an interview session and vote on Monday which followed the resignation last month of longtime board member Lisa Shimkat.

Molly Nelson was sworn into the board Friday morning.

The candidates who were interviewed for the position were former board member William Kent and Nelson, with current board members voting 4-2 to appoint Nelson to the position.

A release from the FDCSD states, “Nelson is a Fort Dodge Senior High graduate. After attending Drake University and living in Des Moines for nearly 20 years, she returned to Fort Dodge in 2017. Her husband, Kole Petersen, is also an FDSH alum. They have four children in the district: Joseph, 14, David, 9, and twins Elya and Etta, 7.

Her professional background includes broadcast journalism and serving as the first Director of the Fort Dodge Community Schools Foundation from 2017-2019. She is currently a TV host and Content Strategist at Merkle Retirement Planning.

She is a mentor in the Fort Dodge Community School District, an active member of First United Methodist Church, and a youth sports coach.

Molly had this to say about joining the school board, “I am honored to have this opportunity to give back to the district that gave me so much. The Fort Dodge Community School District Board, leadership, and educators are doing amazing things. I look forward to learning from my fellow board members and serving in this volunteer role.”