Nancy (Firkins) Hinten was the fourth Community Education director in Bowling Green/Warren County, serving in that capacity from 1993 to 2000. Before coming to Community Education, Hinten worked in Children’s Ministry at Fountain Square Church, was an aerobics instructor, a bank teller, and a research assistant on a youth substance usage survey. Hinten has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Arts in counseling.

“The things I am proudest about during my time at Community Education were increasing community involvement with the schools by expanding student involvement in service learning activities (we planted 2,000 trees in the year 2000 on public lands,) the expansion of the school-age care and summer care programs, and the creation of the Youth Activities Program for middle schoolers.”

The biggest challenges Hinten faced, identification as a quasi-governmental agency and the limitations and advantages for our programs and personnel, are not that different from several of the ones Community Education faces today.

After leaving Community Education, Hinten worked as development director for a community/school program (Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County, Kan.,) planned giving director for Friends University (Wichita, Kan.,) and executive director for Communities In Schools/Pando Initiative.

“Working for Community Education exposed me to grant writing and community development opportunities. It gave me the opportunity to work with a variety of organizations and groups who were interested in creating programs that would help youth and their families thrive in our community.”

Now retired, Hinten is married to Marvin D. Hinten and has two children, a stepson, three grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.