Leveraging over 15 years of practiced expertise in the fields of education and administration, Dr. Kellen J. Adams discovered his love for educational practice at a formative age. First receiving a Bachelor of Science in business education from Fort Hays State University in 2008, he continued his studies at the Kansas-based institution and earned a Master of Science in educational leadership in 2012. After accruing years of experience, he returned to higher education at Kansas State University, obtaining a Doctor of Education in educational leadership in 2018. To supplement his academic credentials, he is certified in building leadership and district leadership and holds certifications as a history, mathematics and business teacher.
At the onset of his career in 2008, Dr. Adams served as a volleyball and track and field coach and a middle school mathematics and technology teacher at Hays Unified School District 489. He subsequently went on to serve as a prekindergarten through 12th grade principal at Logan Unified School District 326 from 2013 to 2016 and an assistant superintendent at El Dorado Public Schools from 2016 to 2019. Since 2019, he has excelled as the superintendent of Chanute Public Schools in Kansas. In his prominent role, he is responsible for the supervision of over 1,900 students and 400 staff members across five instructional centers. Additionally, he is responsible for managing personnel, budgeting and collaborating with the Board of Education. Dr. Adams was recently selected as the next Superintendent of Schools for the Leavenworth Unified School District 453, with an enrollment of approximately 3,700 students, beginning service in July 2023.
Outside of his primary vocation, Dr. Adams served as an adjunct instructor for the Building Leadership Program at Fort Hays State University. In 2018, he authored “An Overview of Selected Impacts and Reconceptualization of State Aid to Public School Infrastructure in Three Representative Kansas School Districts.” Additionally, Dr. Adams has served on the advisory board of Leadership Kansas, has been a treasurer of the board of directors of the Chanute Regional Development Authority and is a member of the Chanute Rotary Club. Dr. Adams also maintains affiliation with the American Association of School Administrators, the Kansas School Superintendents’ Association and the United School Administrators of Kansas.
Dr. Adams is proud of his years of experience leading Chanute Public Schools and looks forward to the opportunity to apply his educational leadership to a larger public school system in Leavenworth, Kansas. He also intends to publish more written works and aims to continue developing his independently-owned business.