Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Superintendent Joe Nelson will be retiring at the end of the school year, after 33 years in Iowa public education.
In a letter sent earlier this year to members of the C-G-D community, Nelson stated, “it has been an honor to serve as your superintendent for the past six years. Life has its seasons, and it’s now my time to step back and refocus on new priorities.”
Nelson recently spoke with RadioOnTheGo News about his retirement and says the decision came after careful reflection and he felt he had reached a natural point in his career to step away.
“You know, when I talked to the school board about it, I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to work with the school board members that, you know, I’ve worked with since I’ve been here for last six years. And they said, ‘well, Joe, you know, if you’re going to do this, let’s make sure that, you know, we start this process quickly to fill it because it’s no secret less and less people are going into school administration.’ And so we started that process first.”
Nelson began his career at Earlham before moving to the West Des Moines Community School District. He later served as a principal at Southeast Polk and spent three years as activities director at Johnston before taking the superintendent position at C-G-D. Reflecting on his career, Nelson said any success he had was the result of the people around him.
“That’s what I’m most proud of around here is that when I talk to our kids, whether they’re, you know, kindergartners all the way through our seniors, the best compliment you can ever give a school leader is that, ‘Hey, I love coming to school.’ And that’s what I hear from our kids, I really do. Our kids love coming to school here and that’s nothing to do with, you know, the superintendent. That’s everything to do with our teachers and our cooks and our paras and our bus drivers. They just treat kids great. And our kids feel special and they go home and tell their moms and dad that, you know, it’s just a joy to see our kids authentically run down the hall to see their teacher every morning at 8:20. They love it. And I just don’t ever want to see that change.”
Nelson took over for Dr. Bob Olson in 2020, who retired after serving as superintendent of Clarion-Goldfield and then Clarion-Goldfield-Dows for over 30 years.
It was announced in October that current Pre-K–8 principal Jared Carder will serve as the district’s next superintendent, effective July 1st, 2026.
Photo courtesy of Nelson, C-G-D schools
