Administration
The MRH Administrative Council manages and supervises the school district. The Council consists of a 19-member administrative team including Central Office administrators, school principals, assistant principals and deans, high school athletic director, director of student services, director of alternative services, director of technology, and the Special School District coordinator. Administrative Council meets monthly to discuss district goals, progress, and achievement.
Central Office Administrators
Linda Henke PhD
Superintendent
Linda Henke joined MRH in July 2000. She has served as teacher, curriculum coordinator, director, and principal. Linda was assistant superintendent in the Clayton School District for ten years before coming to MRH as superintendent. She has a Ph.D. from University of Iowa, was recognized by University of Iowa for outstanding research, and received one of six excellence in scholarship awards from the American Association of School Administrators in 1990. Linda has published several articles, chapters, and one book. Her work was most recently highlighted by Panasonic Foundation and by Peter Senge in his book Schools that Learn. Linda has one son named Andrew, who graduated from John Carroll University.
Karen Hall
Assistant Superintendent
Karen Hall began serving as MRH's assistant superintendent in July 2008. She came from the Pattonville School District, where she served as the principal of Willow Brook Elementary. Previous to that, she worked as an elementary school assistant principal in both the Pattonville and Ritenour School Districts and as a teacher in the Kirkwood School District. Hall has her Ed.S. from Lindenwood University and is currently pursuing her doctorate of educational leadership. She has a master’s degree in educational administration from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in education from Fontbonne University. Karen and her husband have one son.
Kay Lesley CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Kay Lesley joined MRH in 2003. She has a bachelor's of science degree in business administration specializing in accounting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a master's in business administration degree from Lindenwood College. She has a Certified Public Accountant certificate and served at Parkway School District as supervisor of finance prior to joining MRH. She is a member of the Missouri Association of School Business Officials and the Association of School Business Officials International.
Beth Rowland
Director of Buildings & Grounds
Beth Rowland is in her 25th year with the District and her 12th year as Buildings and Grounds Director. She is supervisor of the custodian and maintenance staff, the grounds and gardens crews, and student transportation services. She is also responsible for overseeing all construction and renovation projects within the district. Beth is a member of the Greater St. Louis Area Plant Manager Association and served as their treasurer from three years. Beth has been married for 30 years and has two sons.
Brian Adkisson
Director of Communications
Brian Adkisson joined the MRH School District in October 2011. Prior to coming to MRH, Brian served as vice president of marketing and communications for the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis. He has also worked in the community relations and marketing departments at the Saint Louis Art Museum and Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Truman State University.
Building Administrators
Cyndi Hebenstreit PhD
Principal, MRH Early Childhood Center
Cynthia Hebenstreit is principal at MRH Early Childhood Center, as well as serving as administrator for the preK-5 inquiry curriculum. She received her doctorate at Saint Louis University in the department of educational leadership and higher education, her master of arts degree in early childhood education at Maryville University and her bachelor's degree and teaching certifications from Saint Louis University. She resides in Richmond Heights with her family.
Jessica Green
Administrative Intern/ESOL Instructor, MRH Elementary School/Early Childhood Center
Jessica Green is the administrative intern at the Early Childhood Center and also the ESOL teacher for the district. Jessica has over 14 years of education experience including teaching kindergarten through eighth grade. Jessica has taught in Texas, Ohio, and, Missouri. She hold’s a master’s in education administration and human resource management from Lindenwood University. Outside of MRH, Jessica serves an adjunct instructor at the University of Phoenix.
Tony Arnold EdD
Principal, MRH Elementary School
Tony Arnold has over 10 years of education experience including teaching kindergarten and elementary classes. Prior to joining MRH Elementary, Tony served as Administrative Intern/Assistant Principal at Spoede Elementary in the Ladue School District. He also has extensive experience with the Reggio Emilia approach, and is a strong advocate for inquiry based learning. Tony holds an Ed.D. and an M.A. in educational administration from Lindenwood University, and a B.S. in education from McKendree University. Tony grew up in Illinois, but has been a resident of St. Louis since 1999.
Katie Rengel
Assistant Principal, MRH Elementary School
Katie Rengel came to MRH in 2008 from the Pattonville School District, where she served as a third grade teacher. She also previously taught in the Winfield and Hazelwood School Districts. She holds a master’s in education from Truman State University and a master’s in educational leadership from Maryville University.
Robert Dillon EdD
Principal, MRH Middle School
Prior to becoming the MRH Middle School principal, Bob Dillon spent 10 years as an assistant principal in the Kirkwood and Fort Zumwalt School Districts. As a teacher, he worked with high school students in the areas of communication arts and journalism. He earned his masters and doctorate degrees from Saint Louis University, and has a bachelor of arts in communication from Drury University. Bob and his wife Sandy live in Richmond Heights and have two daughters that attend MRH Early Childhood Center.
Kevin Grawer
Principal, MRH High School
Kevin Grawer joins MRH from Hancock Elementary, where he has served as the assistant principal since 2005. He also has ten years experience teaching high school Spanish, and coaching basketball and baseball. Kevin holds an M.A. in teaching from Webster University and he has his Missouri Principal’s Certificate for K-12 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Kevin and his wife Allegra have three kids.
Michael Maclin
Assistant Principal, MRH High School
Mike Maclin has been with MRH since 2006. He has served as interim principal at MRH Middle School and counselor/instructor at the MRH New Vision Center. Prior to coming to MRH, he served as a guidance counselor in the Hazelwood School District and as a teacher assistant in the Parkway School District. He has a master's of science in school guidance and counseling and a bachelor's of science in communication from Missouri Baptist University. He is currently pursuing his degree in educational administration.
Deann McCann EdD
Assistant Principal, MRH High School
Deann McCann came to MRH in 2010 from the Hazelwood School District, where she served many roles from teacher to science department chair to her most recent assignment as instructional coach. Deann holds an Ed.D. in educational administration from Maryville University, a M.S. in biology and secondary education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and a B.S. in biology and secondary education from McKendree University. She has two daughters.
Malcolm Hill
Athletic Director, MRH High School
Malcolm Hill joined MRH after 17 years in the Normandy School District serving in various capacities, most recently as the athletic director/assistant principal. He has degrees in special education and social studies from UMSL and graduate degrees in curriculum and instruction from National Lewis University and educational administration from Lindenwood. Malcolm has earned a number of accolades including coach of the year, Apple Teacher of the Year, and the MINTS Technology Teacher of the Year. He and his wife, a teacher with Special School District, have three boys and a girl.
District-Wide Administrators
Vince Estrada
Director of Student Services
Vince Estrada has been director of student services since 2001, after working as the MRH social worker for six years. Vince holds a bachelor's from Marquette University and a master's in education from Harvard University. He and his wife, Christy, have three children.
Thomas Kulla-Abbott EdD
Director of Alternative Services
t.kulla-abbott@mrhsd.k12.mo.us
Thomas Kulla-Abbott joined the MRH staff in 1997. His background includes experiences as a compliance officer, assistant football coach at Wichita State University, an independent business owner, and a corporate trainer. Tom holds a doctorate in education with an emphasis in education leadership from Maryville University. His wife Dr. Therese Kulla-Abbott is an educational technology specialist in the Pattonville School District.
Chris Hoelzer
Director of Technology
Chris Hoelzer started in the MRH School District in 2001 as band and instrumental music director for grades 7 to 12. Starting in 2006, Chris began taking on technology responsibilities including student information systems manager and Project Headware coordinator. In 2010, Chris became the director of technology. He holds a B.A. in instrumental music education from University of Missouri-St. Louis and an M.A. in educational leadership from St. Louis University. He and his wife Danielle have three children.
Catina Lyles
Special School District - Special Education Administrator
Catina Lyles joined MRH in July 2008. She previously served as an SSD administrator in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. In addition to supervising the staff of SSD teachers, social workers, and therapists, she focuses on helping students with special needs achieve success in the classroom and beyond. She has an Ed.S. in educational leadership from Saint Louis University and is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at Saint Louis University.
