AMHERST — A parent who has been a longtime participant in Amherst public schools, including serving as co-facilitator of Amherst Racial Equity for the past six years and working a substitute teacher for more than a decade, is the newest member of the Amherst School Committee.
Heather A. Lord of Riverglade Drive was appointed Tuesday in a joint vote by the remaining four members of the Amherst School Committee and the 13 members of the Town Council. She replaces Eric Nakajima, who submitted his resignation in February after taking a job as director of government relations for the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
“I am honored to serve on the Amherst School Committee and look to help advance our equity, in practice, in policy, and in presence with a focus of racial justice,” Lord said in an email following the vote.
With the COVID-19 pandemic occurring, Lord said she will focus on outreach to families.
“In response to the disruption, grief and change due to the pandemic, I look to increase community engagement and offer a stable and encouraging force as we navigate the new set of restrictions and the needs of our families,” Lord said.
Lord, one of four candidates for the position interviewed by the boards remotely, received 10 of the 17 votes cast, surpassing the nine-vote majority needed.
In her letter of interest, Lord wrote that she would be a bridge to be more welcoming to families that are less inclined to participate in school matters and trust in the decision-making process.
“The first and foremost importance to me is about our students and being the best version of ourselves so that we meet the needs of our amazingly diverse and wonderful students,” Lord wrote.
Her experience also includes serving for two years as a resident director at the Amherst A Better Chance Program and earning a master’s degree in social work from Smith College last August.
School Committee member Peter Demling, who voted for Lord, said she demonstrates a passion to help others and understands the struggles for families in the district.
In addition to Demling, Lord received votes from two other School Committee members, Allison McDonald and Kerry Spitzer, and seven councilors, Shalini Bahl-Milne, Alisa Brewer, Lynn Griesemer, Evan Ross, George Ryan, Steve Schreiber and Andy Steinberg.
Six votes went to candidate Katie Lazdowski, from School Committee member Ben Herrington and councilors Pat DeAngelis, Darcy DuMont, Dorothy Pam, Cathy Schoen and Sarah Swartz.
Gaston de Los Reyes received one vote, from At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke.
The other candidate interviewed was Ryan Driscoll.
