At its regular School Board meeting of Aug. 27, the Lopez Island School District Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Diane Dear to fill the unexpired term of Christa Campbell, who resigned from the Board, effective Sept. 1.

Campbell served on the School Board for eleven years and was the current chairperson, a position she held more than once during her time on the Board. During Campbell’s time as a Board Director the District has gone through a number of changes, including three superintendents, two principals, the remodel of the secondary building, and many successful levies and bonds.

“Christa will be greatly missed on the Board, and certainly by me as well, as she was a good leader and unwaveringly held students and student learning as her highest priority,” said Superintendent Bill Evans.

Dear, as the newly appointed Director, will walk into her leadership role at a time when the District is experiencing strong academic success and enjoying solid community support, said Evans. “The District is also struggling with the same budgetary angst facing all school districts in the state, further exacerbated by declining enrollment.” Dear will be assuming her Director seat as the District moves forward in the construction phases of eight capital projects, funded by voter support of a bond in February 2007.

Dear brings to the Board a broad background of leadership experiences, including current chairperson on the Lopez Island Family Resource Center Board, and past director experience on the Board of LOHO. She has also been an attorney, owned her own law firm, and served as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University. She and her husband Todd Goldsmith own T and D farms, a certified organic farm on Lopez Island.

“The Board had a tough decision in selecting an appointee from among the three well-qualified applicants, but the Board feels confident in Ms. Dear’s ability to provide strong leadership,” said Superintendent Evans.

In other action, the Board elected Director Diana Hancock to be the chairperson and Lauren Stephens to the vice-chair position.