Kristen Kiefer was appointed as the newest member of the Manassas City School Board last Wednesday night.
Kiefer, who is the Chief of Staff at The National Council on Aging, was selected from a list of nine qualified candidates.
The Board needed to appoint a new member when incumbent Ilka Chavez decided to step down for personal reasons back in January.
According to Tim Demeria, Chairman of the Manassas City School Board, the board was primarily looking for a competent and passionate individual to fill Chavezâs seat.
âOf the nine candidates we had, we were looking for someone who was passionate about our schools, who was involved in our schools,â Demeria said, continuing, âMy concern when we first discussing [appointing a new member] we were worried we werenât going to have candidates worthy of the position, but that surely didnât become a problem for us.â
The board interviewed each of the nine candidates, and after several hours of deliberation, there was a unanimous vote to select Kiefer, said Demeria.
A graduate of Ohio University and Georgetown University, Kiefer is known in the community for her extensive involvement in the school system. She has two children in Manassas City schools, and her husband was also a graduate of the school system.
For Kiefer, her commitment to education started at the very beginning of her life, with her motherâs influence as an educator.
âMy mother was an educator and an administrator in schools her entire lifeâŠMy parents taught me the value of education, and that it was a gift â but that it was also something you were accountable for, in terms of how much you put into it,â Kiefer said.
Kiefer started her involvement with the school community by reinstating the Baldwin Elementary PTO, and later working on the PTA at Mayfield Intermediate School. She also serves as a member of the âGifted and Talentedâ advisory group.
She became well known in the community for her tireless efforts working with the schools after organizing the first Movie Night on the Manassas Museum lawn. It is now an annual community event.
Her interest in applying for the vacant board seat came when she was encouraged to apply during her time at the Manassas City Public Schools Community and Parent Leadership Academy.
Kiefer admitted to being nervous and needing some reassurance about applying.
âI was nervousâŠthe thing about it was that I had no idea what I was walking into. And I went through a lot of soul searching. I spoke with teachers, principals, colleagues, parents, to hear them saying, âYou need to do this.â I think for me, in terms of the decision process, my motherâŠsaid âYou have got to do thisâ [and it helped push me],â Kiefer stated.
Despite being new to the board, Kiefer will be involved in this yearâs budgeting process for the schools â not an easy task. But Kiefer feels confident in her ability to transition to the board and assist in the budgeting process.
âMy job is one where Iâm thrown into something new each and every day, and Iâve got to adjust, and Iâve got to study and Iâve got to prepare â and it doesnât matter what the topic is â youâve got to go in there, and youâve got to roll up your sleeves, and thatâs just who I am as a person,â Kiefer stated.
The appointment will run out in November 2015. Kiefer intends to run in the upcoming special election to keep her seat after the appointment period ends.
Kiefer will be sworn into the board at the next Manassas City School Board meeting.
More to the Story: See all of the resumes submitted for the open School Board position below:Â
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