(center, l-r) Lynn Sperry, Amy Dankel and Stephanie O'Dell take the board of trustees oath of office at the McKinney ISD May Board meeting. The three incumbents won their respective races on May 6.

McKinney, Texas – Three returning members of the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees were sworn in during the monthly board meeting on Tuesday, May 16, at the MISD Community Event Center. The swearing in followed elections held on May 6 that saw Place 4, Place 5 and Place 6 up for re-election.

Board incumbents Amy Dankel (Place 4), Lynn Sperry (Place 5) and Stephanie O’Dell (Place 6, At-Large) each won their respective races and were sworn in during a brief ceremony at the board meeting. With the formalities completed, Dankel returned to her Place 4 seat as Sperry and O’Dell took their seats at Place 5 and Place 6, and the meeting continued.

Who are Amy Dankel, Lynn Sperry and Stephanie O’Dell?

Amy Dankel — Place 4

Board President Amy Dankel moved to McKinney in 1997 and has served as a public school educator for 22 years, the last 10 in MISD serving at Finch Elementary School and Eddins Elementary School.

She and her husband Roger have been married for 38 years and are active members of Stonebridge United Methodist Church. Roger works for Simpson Strong-Tie, and their two children were educated in MISD.

Nick graduated from McKinney North High School, earned an undergraduate degree from University of Colorado and a Masters of Science in Optical Sciences from The University of Arizona. Nick works at L3HARRIS. Stephanie is a graduate of McKinney Boyd, Clemson University, and Denver Law. Stephanie is a family law attorney at CRCBL in Denver, Colorado. Stephanie married Ben Pflederer in 2017. Ben graduated from Vanderbilt and is attending graduate school at Denver Seminary and working at Fare Harbor. Stephanie and Ben are Denver County foster parents.

Dankel earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Millsaps College.

She cites a deep sense of responsibility to give back to a school system and community that has given so much to her and to her family as her major motivation for serving on the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees. Dankel is committed to being an ethical leader, focusing on academic excellence and safety.

Lynn Sperry — Place 5

Lynn Sperry has served on the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees for 38 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from The Ohio State University and taught public school vocal and instrumental music for grades 1 – 8.

Sperry served 12 years as a Director of the Texas Association of School Boards. She is a graduate of the Texas Association of School Boards Leadership TASB program, “Class of 2000” with the designation of “Master Trustee.”

Sperry feels that her experience in education along with her years of involvement as a parent and current involvement as a grandparent are assets to the MISD School Board.

She is proud to set goals for the district that raise the bar academically and is also extremely proud of how the board and district administration have handled bonded indebtedness over the years. The result is a very stable financial future for MISD.

Sperry is very excited to see students representing many different disciplines excel in district, state and national competitions. MISD has truly become an outstanding organization, and she is proud to work with a board of trustees that makes students its priority.

Sperry received the Carey Cox Award – The Outstanding McKinney Citizen 2006. She was awarded the Kim Hoffman Volunteer of the Year for McKinney 1997 (co-recipients Lynn and Neil Sperry).

Sperry’s community involvement includes: Founding and current Board Member Emeritus of McKinney Education Foundation; Board Member, McKinney Baylor Scott and White Hospital; Past President, Avenues Counseling Center Board; Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney, Board Member; Founding Member and MISD liaison to Serenity High Advisory Board.

Currently, Sperry serves on the Executive Committee of the North Texas Area Association of School Boards.

Her three children attended MISD schools, and she is proud that the education they received prepared them for success in college and in their careers. Lynn has seven grandchildren. The oldest is a 2016 graduate of McKinney North High School and the other six are enrolled in four MISD campuses (MNHS, Dowell, Eddins and Webb Elementary). Lynn and her husband Neil own Neil Sperry’s GARDENS. She and her family are members of the first United Methodist Church of McKinney.

Stephanie O’Dell — Place 6 (At-Large)

Stephanie O’Dell has been actively involved in McKinney schools for 18 years. She has served as a trustee for 8 years. Prior to that she volunteered with PTO and PTAs in various roles giving her the opportunity to develop relationships with teachers, principals and parents.

Over the years, she has served as the President of McKinney Education Foundation and helped read scholarship applications for graduating seniors. She has mentored 5 students in MISD through the REACH program and she is
currently serving on the Baylor Hospital Board.

O’Dell graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and she worked in sales for eight years. She and her husband have two daughters. The oldest is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the youngest is a graduate of Boston University.

Stephanie is passionate about public education for all children, and she enjoys visiting McKinney campuses and seeing teachers and students in action.

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