Ball State provided the names of 88 candidates — 16 of which are Ball State employees — who applied to be on the Muncie School Board Wednesday.
Five of the 88 applicants, will be chosen by Ball State’s Board of Trustees members after nominations from President Geoffrey Mearns. Mearns will appoint the remaining two candidates based on nominations from Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler and Muncie City Council.
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This number of candidates is unprecedented in Muncie. The highest number of applicants in the last decade came in 2008 when eight people applied to be on the school board.
The 16 applicants from Ball State include the facilities director as well as various Ball State department chairs and professors. Additionally, a member of the Ball State University Foundation applied.
"We have a very large, strong and diverse pool of candidates,” said Mearns in a statement provided by university spokeswoman Kathy Wolf. “The applicants all articulated an interest for this exciting opportunity. I am gratified and encouraged that so many talented people are interested in sharing their passion for this historic opportunity."
The mayor and city council must submit their nominations to Ball State by June 8. The university invited the public to hear presentations from all the finalists at 6 p.m. on June 12 in Central High School.
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In a previous interview, Mearns told The Daily News he wants the new board members to have a “demonstrated passion” for Muncie Community Schools and public K-12 education.
Mearns said at the May 16 Board of Trustees meeting the board plans to make its selection by June 25 and new board members will take office July 1.
A full list of candidates, with their name, employment and residence is listed below:
1. Akins, Renee – employee of educational institution - Indianapolis
2. Anderson, Christopher – Information Technology - Muncie
3. Bales, Brittany – BSU employee - Muncie
4. Behrman, Neil – BSU employee - Muncie
5. Bell, Samantha – BSU employee - Muncie
6. Bishop-Weidner, Lauren – retired - Eaton
7. Bouse, Adam – business - Muncie
8. Bowman, Brad – local business - Muncie
9. Brandt, Joshua – clergy - Muncie
10. Burton, Robert – clergy, retired - Muncie
11. Caldwell, Harold – retired - Muncie
12. Carpenter, Debra – farmer - Muncie
13. Claytor, Michael – retired - Carmel
14. Crenshaw, Christopher - employee of educational institution - Muncie
15. Dodson, Tammy – health services - Muncie
16. Edsall, Keeta – government employee - Muncie
17. Ervin, Mark – attorney - Selma
18. Evans, Chasity – healthcare - Muncie
19. Faulk, Dagney – BSU employee - Muncie
20. Feick, Debbie – retired - Muncie
21. Friend, Cody – BSU employee - Muncie
22. Gallatin, Jennifer – employee of educational institution - Muncie
23. Gehring, Stacee Fischer – clergy - Muncie
24. Gerrity, Kevin – BSU employee - Muncie
25. Hall, Jenica – parent - Muncie
26. Havens, Stephanie – healthcare - Muncie
27. Heeter, David – banking - Muncie
28. Hewitt, Michael – clergy - Muncie
29. Hji-Avgoustis, Sotiris – BSU employee - Carmel
30. Horowitz, Lori – healthcare - Muncie
31. Hunt, Rachel – government employee - Muncie
32. Hurwitz, Ari – employee of educational institution - Muncie
33. Jared, Elizabeth – retired - Muncie
34. Jarvis, Thomas – local business - Muncie
35. Johnson, Cliff – local business - Muncie
36. Johnson, Jennifer – local business - Yorktown
37. Johnston, Jacqueline – retired - Muncie
38. Kelly, Ryan – local business - Yorktown
39. King, Richard (Brad) – government employee - Muncie
40. Kirby, Stormie – BSU Foundation - Muncie
41. Kizer, Zachary – employee of educational institution - Muncie
42. Leckie-Lee, Morgan – BSU employee - Muncie
43. Llewellyn, Marlon – employee of educational institution - Indianapolis
44. Lowe, James – BSU employee - Muncie
45. Lunsford, Nicole – employee of educational institution - Yorktown
46. Mansfield, Jack – retired - Muncie
47. Mathis, Lori – health services - Muncie
48. McDonald, Rheaunna – employee of educational institution - Muncie
49. McIntire, Samuel – employee of educational institution - Albany
50. McIntosh, David – BSU employee - Muncie
51. Millben, Denise – clergy, local business - Muncie
52. Miller, Jessica - employee of educational institution - Yorktown
53. Mitchell, Andre – clergy, business - Muncie
54. Nesper, David - retired - Muncie
55. Newby, John – employee of educational institution - Indianapolis
56. O’Neal, Keith – clergy - Muncie
57. Onieal, Kathie – local business - Muncie
58. Orr, Holly – local business - Muncie
59. Page, Susan – employee of educational institution - Muncie
60. Proctor, Preston – employee of educational institution - Muncie
61. Rabel, Tina – banking - Muncie
62. Rhinehart, Jim – BSU employee - Muncie
63. Richmond, DeWayne – employee of educational institution - Muncie
64. Robinson-Hill, Rona – BSU employee - Muncie
65. Roof, David – BSU employee - Muncie
66. Russett, Jessie – government employee – Cambridge City
67. Sadler, Andrea – BSU employee - Muncie
68. Scott, Frank – clergy, local business - Muncie
69. Shafer, Judi – employee of educational institution - Selma
70. Shears, Frederick – retired - Muncie
71. Shroyer, Kristopher – BSU employee - Muncie
72. Smith, Aaron – government employee - Muncie
73. Sparks, Jeremy – local business - Muncie
74. Stallings, Daniel – local business - Muncie
75. Turner, James – business – Indianapolis
76. Turpin, Jacob – local business - Muncie
77. Upchurch, Kristen - local business - Muncie
78. Vanderbilt, Dan – clergy - Muncie
79. Walker, William – student - Indianapolis
80. Wheeler, Darren – BSU employee - Muncie
81. Wiggerly, Kerry – local business - Muncie
82. Willaert, Daniel – business - Muncie
83. Williams, David – retired - Muncie
84. Williams, James – attorney - Muncie
85. Wilson, Alan – government employee - Muncie
86. Wilson, Shaun – business - Anderson
87. Wyatt, Tiffany – business - Losantville
88. Zvokel, Kendi – employee of educational institution - Yorktown
Contact Brynn Mechem with comments at bamechem@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @BrynnMechem.
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