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Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Hires New Business and Human Resources Manager

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Eric Hansen has been hired as the new business and human resources manager for USD 204 and he said that being back in a small community’s school district is something he has been looking forward to for quite some time. Hansen worked for 18 years in the Gardner-Edgerton district, which has grown to twice the size of the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville district in terms of students, employees and the annual budget.

“Where Gardner was at when I started in 1994, you had the opportunity to know everyone and learn names and faces. Then you start to get to be so large that you lose track of who everyone is,” Hansen said. “There’s some give and take — there’s always new challenges on the road — but at the same time you lose that comfort level of just knowing people. So that will be something I’m looking forward to here.”

Hansen began working in his new position back in July when he took over for Charles Thomas, the former business manager. Thomas will be working part time with the district until he retires completely later in 2012. Hansen received his education at John Brown University in Arkansas, majoring in business administration and accounting. Hansen came to the region in 1990 after being hired by Marion Merrell Dow, the pharmaceutical company. Just four years later he was hired by the school district of Gardner-Edgerton. Hansen never thought he would work for a school district but said that it fit well into his life.

“It’s been a pretty interesting experience,” Hansen said. “I’m learning a lot of things that you don’t learn in college. When you do this job, you’ve gotta kind of be a Jack of all trades. It’s amazing how many things you’re exposed to. … You have the opportunity to interact with a lot of good people. That’s probably what keeps me coming back.”

Hansen was introduced to his wife when he began working with the school district. She had recently been hired as a computer and business teacher within the district. Hansen noted that it was time for change after 18 years at the Gardner-Edgerton district. He said that he was intrigued by the responsibilities of the Bonner position.

“One of the things that was intriguing to me about the job was not only for business, but for human resources,” Hansen said. “I’d been spending a pretty fair portion of my time in Gardner doing some human resources-related activities, so I thought I could come up here and expand on that.”

Hansen said that the Bonner district is not in bad shape but that there are areas of improvement needed.

“Hopefully some of the experiences I’ve had in the last 18 years will help me move things in the right direction,” Hansen said.

Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Hires New Business and Human Resources Manager by
Authored by: Harrison Barnes