Meet Ed Chabal
Ed is a native son of a Washington County farm family. The first of his family to attend college, he earned a degree in agriculture economics from Iowa State University and later an accounting degree from Iowa Wesleyan College.
Ed’s professional passion is school finance. He will retire from the Mt. Pleasant Community School District this summer after 27 years. He is a graduate of the Iowa School Business Management Academy and was a faculty member of the academy for three years. Ed has been involved in school business at the state and international levels, believing it is important to collaborate with people in the field of school finance to learn and share ideas. He was elected to the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International’s Board of Directors and then elected as President – representing over 9,000 members. During this service on the ASBO board, Ed had the opportunity to visit 32 states and Cuba to see how other state public education systems operate.
Ed knows the importance of giving back to his community. His service started with youth advisory (4-H) and agricultural councils in Washington and Henry counties. It continues with volunteering in the Log Village woodworking shop at Midwest Old Threshers in Mount Pleasant where he teaches youth and adults woodworking skills of the 1856 Iowa frontier. Young people are often the recipients of Ed’s service through youth sports coaching, T-Ball ages right through high school girls soccer.
Ed and his wife, Karen, have a son and daughter-in-law and a daughter. Together you’ll find them enjoying recreational trails, biking and catching live music when possible. Ed partners in Karen’s antique shop in downtown Washington, where his specialty is restoring furniture.