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Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed January as School Board Recognition Month. This marks the 21st year of the annual observance initiated by the National School Boards Association in 1995.
These volunteer school board members play a crucial role in developing policies and making tough decisions on complex educational and social issues. These issues affect the entire state. They are also directly accountable to the citizens in their districts, serving as a vital link between members of the community and their schools. During January, school districts across the state will honor their local school boards and publicly thank board members for their hard work.
Wenatchee School District will be honoring our board members at 5:45 pm on January 26 prior to the board meeting for a short reception. Please join us.
Meet Wenatchee School District Board members
School Board President Jennifer Talbot
Jennifer and her husband, Anthony, have six children. Jennifer has been a parent volunteer for the Wenatchee School District since 1998. She supports and advocates for community feedback and collaboration such as Wenatchee Learns, multi-tiered systems of support for school-wide academics and behavior, dual-language programs and education success for English language learners, closing achievement gaps for the benefit of all students, and research/evidence-based best practices for education.
President Robert Sealby
Work Phone: (509) 662-6131
Laura Jaecks - Board Position #01
Laura holds a Project Management Certificate from University of Washington Extension, Masters of Education in Educational Technology, a BS in Accounting from Central Washington University, and an Associates of Arts Degree from Wenatchee Valley College. Laura has volunteered on many community and school district committees. She currently serves as a member of the City of Wenatchee Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and a Board Advisor to the Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance (GWATA).
Laura has spent a great deal of her time developing her knowledge of children’s issues through attending workshops and trainings and has written many successful grants, which benefit the community. In November 2009 she completed an eight month long Leadership WSSDA course designed to challenge school directors to grow as visionary, influential leaders, who demonstrate effective governance that improves student learning. The course was facilitated by the Washington State School Director Association.
Dr. Walter S. Newman, Board Position #02
After retirement he has rekindled involvement in the district, first by volunteering in the schools and then by serving on the Board of Directors. Among other civic activities he was a long time member of the Wenatchee park board, and is currently board chairman at Chelan Douglas Family Planning.
The strong public school system was an attraction when he came to Wenatchee, and preserving this strength is a goal of his on the board. Dr. Walter S. Newman was elected to the Wenatchee School Board of Directors in November of 2007.
Jesús Hernández - Board Position #03
Hernández was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. in 1979, at the age of 9. He holds a B.A. in Management from Washington State University and a Masters in Public Administration from University of Washington. He and his wife, Melissa, have two sons, Mikael, and Julian.
Currently, Jesús is the CEO of Community Choice Healthcare Network serving North Central Washington to improve access to healthcare and strengthening the regional healthcare delivery system. Additionally, Jesús served nine years on the Higher Education Coordinating Board for the state of Washington, having been appointed by Gov. Gary Locke and later Gov. Christine Gregoire. Jesus remains a strong advocate for access to higher education.