MELISSA KRULL

Age: 51

Hometown: St. Paul

Education: B.A. from St. Cloud State University, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Experience: She taught for two years in Wisconsin before beginning in Eden Prairie in 1984 as a middle school special-education teacher. She moved up as a teacher and curriculum instructor, assistant superintendent; she has been superintendent since 2002.

Family: 8-year-old daughter, several pets; her four siblings and parents live in the metro.