Two Western University faculty members have been appointed by the region’s public school board to fill two trustee vacancies left by the departures of Joyce Bennett and Jake Skinner.
Laura Gonzalez and Sherri Moore will replace Bennett and Skinner to represent wards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13, completing the board’s four-year term, which runs until November of next year, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) said Tuesday.
Bennett retired in October while Skinner resigned last week. The reason for his sudden departure was not immediately clear.
Gonzalez is a community outreach co-ordinator at Western’s Brain and Mind Institute, while Moore is an administrative co-ordinator at Western’s Schulich Dentistry school.
In addition, both are actively involved in the Thames Valley school system, according to the school board. Moore previously ran against Bennett and Skinner in the 2018 municipal race for trustee of wards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13, and is a member of the TVDSB’s special education advisory committee.
Gonzalez serves on the Thames Valley Council of Home and School Association as president, and is a member of the Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee, the school board says.
The pair were among 17 members of the community who threw their hats into the ring to fill the vacancy left by Bennett. To fill the vacancy left by Skinner, the board decided at a special meeting on Dec. 8 to refer to the same list to choose his replacement.
“We are very fortunate to have Laura and Sherri join the Board and provide representation for the constituents of Wards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13,” TVDSB chair Lori-Ann Pizzolato said in a statement Tuesday.
“Their active involvement in our school district and the London community will be a definite asset to our Board.”