In nominating Maland for this honor, Gail Lewis-Miller (principal, Hopkins) stated: “Joan Maland is well respected among her peers for her honesty, integrity, and positive work ethic. Joan has been the principal of Indian Mounds Elementary for the past five years and has provided strong leadership to her staff.  The student population has changed dramatically over the last several years at the school and the staff recognized they needed additional staff development to address the needs of their diverse learners. Joan jumped at the opportunity to lead her staff through a book study of How to Teach Children Who Don’t Look Like You. Her love of designing and leading staff development is evident in her role as adjunct instructor at Hamline University.”