One of these applicants will be the newest face on Spokane Public Schools’ board

Some come bearing histories in education, nonprofit work or on campaign trails. All hope to fill the vacant seat on Spokane Public Schools’ board.

Following Director Melissa Bedford’s departure in August, the board will pick from nine applicants for the position. After screening applicants Wednesday, the board will interview some or all of them. Come October, one of these hopefuls will assume a seat at the dais.

Board President Nikki Otero Lockwood said the board was looking for someone with leadership experience and a demonstrable “commitment to public education.”

“That’s what we’re tasked with doing,” Lockwood said. “We’re tasked with serving as leaders of public education, so I think it’s important that folks are committing to serve all of our students and being transparent and serving with the best interest of having a strong public education system.”

That commitment is essential during a time of “political divide” surrounding schools, she said.

“We’re fine with diverse opinions, but we want to be clear we want someone who has a commitment to public education, and there’s people across the spectrum politically that support public education,” Lockwood said.

Here’s a look at the applicants:

The first to apply in mid-August was Nicole Bishop, philanthropy manager at Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, a nonprofit where she’s worked several roles since 2018, according to her resume. She’s served on several boards around Spokane, including the Spokane Human Rights Commission and Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center.

Her previous political experience includes serving as the chair of the Spokane County Democrats from 2020 to 2021 and interning in 2011 as a speechwriter for then-Vice President Joe Biden and in 2010 with Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Applicant Tammy Dixson boasts 14 years’ experience as a medical laboratory specialist, currently as a lab supervisor for three clinics at Northwest Spine and Pain Medicine. She previously worked at Labcorp and Pathology Associates Medical Laboratory, both in Spokane.

Brianna Hawkins brings international experience to the table, with 20 years in education marked by stints in Romania, New Zealand and around the United States. Most recently, she worked for seven months in special education at Lidgerwood Elementary School.

Daniel Robertson has worked in the district’s custodial and operations department since 2015 and is the head custodian at Cooper Elementary School. His board experience includes serving as recording secretary for the Spokane Education Association’s executive board, and he’s served in various leadership roles in the union’s custodial grounds warehouse unit.

Robertson has elected experience as a Spokane County precinct committee officer for the Republican Party.

Former attorney Kate Telis has ties to the district in previous leadership on the Hutton Elementary parent-teacher group and as a former volunteer in the district. She’s the co-chair of the Spokane chapter of Moms Demand Action, a gun-safety policy advocacy group.

Telis’ résumé is stacked with campaign experience; she’s communications director for Molly Marshall’s campaign for county commissioner against incumbent Al French. She was a volunteer coordinator for Paul Dillion’s 2023 campaign for Spokane City Council and for Maggie Yates’ bid for county commissioner in 2022.

Recent Harvard Ph.D. graduate Normandy Vincent has dedicated around two decades to studying art history and now turns his interests toward the school board. He led numerous art history classes at Harvard, where he wrote his dissertation comparing two 16th-century artists.

In his cover letter, he expressed a desire to advance equity in the district and foster an educational environment “free from shame, fear, punishment or coercive control,” he wrote.

It’s former construction project manager and engineer Russell Neff’s second try applying for a seat at the dais, previously seeking outgoing Riley Smith’s position that was filled by director Hilary Kozel a year ago. Neff is a parent of a Spokane student and has experience as a long-term substitute teacher in the district.

In his cover letter, Neff said the current board makeup is “collectively biased,” and his perspectives would bring a “diversity of thought” that he said isn’t represented .

During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closures, Neff spoke at school board meetings in favor of reopening schools and allowing parents to decide if their students should wear masks. He organized rallies with a parents group called Open Spokane Schools to protest closures and masking in schools.

Applicant Luke Tolley is the director of community-engaged programs at the Arc of Spokane, where he’s worked more than a decade to develop programming for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

He has a child in the district and has volunteered with her school’s parent-teacher group.

He ran two unsuccessful campaigns to represent northeast Spokane on the city council in 2007 and 2011. He serves on the Hillyard and Bemiss neighborhood councils, and has been involved in several committees and alliances in Northeast Spokane.

Applicant Glenn Andrews worked more than 20 years in information technology, as senior manager of digital operations at ENGIE Impact and managing director at Nyte Nebula Technology Solutions, an IT firm he founded. Andrews has two kids enrolled in Spokane Public Schools, according to his cover letter.

After this appointment, two of five Spokane Public Schools board members will have been appointed and never elected.

The board selected Kozel to fill the role left by Smith last September. She plans to run for office in November 2025, when her seat is on ballots.

Board member Mike Wiser was initially appointed to his seat in 2017, but has since won two elections to retain his seat.

In 2020, the board appointed Aryn Ziehnert when Kevin Morrison vacated his seat after less than a year serving. In 2017, Paul Schneider prematurely left the board and remaining members appointed Brian Newberry to replace him. Neither ran to earn seats in their respective elections.

When a member of the school board vacates their seat before their six-year term expires, it’s up to the rest of the board members to screen applicants and select a replacement to serve until the next school board election, when the seat will be up for election.

Lockwood said the appointment system allows for diverse voices on the school board that may otherwise be deterred by running for office.

“I watched some appointments before I was a board member, and certain people have more electability than others,” said Lockwood, who won her seat in 2019 but was involved in activism in and around the district prior to her service. “Before I was a board member, I thought it was a chance to bring in somebody who might see the election as daunting and bring a diverse perspective to the board.”

The hopeful selected to fill Bedford’s seat will face the same election in November 2025 if they wish to finish the three years remaining on her term.

Lockwood said she hoped whomever the board selects will run for office when their time comes.

The board will conduct interviews next week after privately screening applicants on Wednesday. Interviews will be open to the public and recorded.