CLARINDA, Iowa, March 5, 2020 – Clarinda Academy, a residential academic and behavioral health treatment center for at-risk youth, has announced the appointment of experienced leader and Clarinda native Nola Bond as Executive Director.

Nola Bond

Bond comes to Clarinda Academy with more than two decades of experience leading human resource efforts across industries with a specialization within the education space. Prior to joining the Academy, Bond ran her own consulting firm in Council Bluffs and served in numerous leadership capacities within Northwest Missouri State University. Her roles included vice president of strategy and operations, where she was responsible for developing key business partnerships. Bond will utilize her vast experience in HR to further strengthen Clarinda Academy’s culture to support students and staff.

“As a member of the Clarinda Community School District’s Board of Education for nearly four years, I understand and value the educational services Clarinda Academy provides at-risk students,” Bond said. “I am dedicated to ensuring our staff receives the support and professional development they need to provide the highest level of service to the adolescents in our care. In my first few months on the job, I feel like chief listening officer will be a more appropriate title than executive director, since I’ll be learning directly from our staff and students about what we’re doing well and the areas we’ll need to work on together.”

At Clarinda Academy, every aspect of the school is student-centered and designed to accommodate individual learning styles, providing each student the greatest potential to succeed. The Academy puts each student’s treatment needs first and foremost, with students receiving outpatient therapy and counseling in the setting that best suits them. Throughout a student’s stay at the Academy, they are challenged to analyze their challenges and experience successes in nearly every area of life.

“Given Nola’s familiarity with the community and the school system in Clarinda, as well as her passion for education and working with adolescents, we felt she was the ideal choice to lead Clarinda Academy,” said Bill Dean, Senior Vice President of Operations, with Sequel Youth and Family Services. “Nola’s history of culture-building within the organizations she has served will be a tremendous benefit to our students and staff. Her ability to create critical partnerships with local businesses and organizations will also be an asset to the Academy and, more importantly, the community.”