Cyndy Erickson has worked in Education for over 30 years, specializing in school climate, dropout
prevention and creating effective community collaborations that support all students in maximizing
their potential. Cyndy served Des Moines Public Schools students and families for over 20 years. Cyndy
launched the SUCCESS program of Des Moines Public Schools that employed case managers whose role
was to support students and their families by assessing need and connecting them with community
resources. SUCCESS has been in existence for over 30 years. In her work with Des Moines Public Schools
and the Iowa Department of Education, Cyndy has managed and evaluated numerous federal, state and
local grants including the federal Safe and Supportive Schools grant that provided 11 Iowa High Schools
with support to measure school climate, improve student engagement and create safe/supportive
learning environments. Cyndy provided leadership to the team that created the statewide Conditions
for Learning Survey and Toolkits. Cyndy is a Certified Fierce Conversations Trainer and serves as a state
mediator and mediation trainer. Cyndy is a published author; she co-authored Practical Evaluation for
Collaborative Services: Goals, Processes, Tools, and Reporting Systems for School-Based Programs and
contributed a chapter to How to Start Your Own School-Based Legal Clinic.