Seven residents in the Powhatan District have applied to succeed former WJCC School Board member Joe Fuentes as an interim representative.
A public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the James City County Government Complex so residents can speak to the board about the candidates before members make an appointment.
The board has until the end of February to appoint an interim member, who will serve until a Powhatan representative is formally elected in November.
The following candidates will be considered for the position:
- Lisa Ownby, director of human resources and marketing, LandTech Resources, Inc.
- Patti DeBlass, owner, Schmidt’s Flowers & Accessories
- Jill Dalton, afterschool program coordinator and summer camp director, Baeplex Martial Arts Center
- Mary Minor, retired, Former WJCC School Board Chairwoman
- David Dafashy, physician, College of William & Mary
- Brian Stokes, adjunct professor, Thomas Nelson Community College and Christopher Newport University
- Frank Abbott, human dimension lead, JANUS Research Group
In an email to WYDaily, WJCC School Division spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith wrote an eighth application was received but the individual did not live in the voting district.
Fuentes vacated his seat Jan. 15, writing in an email to fellow board members that the commitments of his job and “several ongoing personal family and external obligations and issues” have made it “difficult to focus” in the past year.
