Salute to the Chehalis School Board
Jan. 5, 2024
We Salute Our School Board
January is School Board Appreciation Month. In the Chehalis School District, we are served by five elected school board directors as well as two student representatives from W.F. West High School. Our elected school board directors work hard at making policies that further the mission and goals of the Chehalis School District and we are grateful for their efforts.
"We are so thankful for our school board who give selflessly of their time and dedicate themselves to helping our school district be the best it can be for our students and our community. Thank you!" Said Superintendent Dr. Christine Moloney.
Alan Browning
Browning is serving as President of the Chehalis School Board for 2024 and is the board's Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association representative.
He has served on the Chehalis School Board since 2021. He said he was inspired to serve because his father, Tim Browning, has served for decades in various roles in Centralia.
"Being given the opportunity to watch and learn from him gave me the confidence that I to could potentially make a difference," Browning said. "And to watch our youth grow and mature has always been a passion of mine."
Student mental health awareness and the student cell phone use policies are two of the issues that Browning said he has been the most proud of being part of tackling as a school board director. He said he feels they are issues that are somewhat intertwined and really point back to caring for students' well being.
A Centralia High School graduate, Browning has lived in Chehalis for 16 years. His wife, Amy, is a teacher in the Centralia School District. Their son, Jackson, is a 3rd grader at Orin Smith Elementary. Browning has a Bachelor's degree from Washington State University in Social Sciences/Business Management and he is self-employed. He has coached at Adna High School for 5 years, as well as mentoring/coaching many students in Lewis County over the past 20+ years.
Kelsi Hamilton
Hamilton is serving as Vice President of the school board for 2024 and is the board legislative chair. She also represents Director Area 5 on the Washington State School Directors Association Legislative Committee, which is a two-year elected position.
She has served on the Chehalis School Board since 2021. She said she was inspired to run because, at the time, there were no school board directors who had children currently attending Chehalis schools.
"I felt like a parent that has a good pulse on the community was important," Hamilton said of why she chose to run. "I want to be a voice for all but especially families and parents. I love our community and wanted to help be a part of maintaining a culture of excellence in education."
Hamilton holds professional certifications through industry-related trade groups and has completed leadership training through the Disney Institute. She works in compliance for the accounts receivable industry and also lobbies for a state trade association.
She has lived in Chehalis most of her life and she and her husband, Ryan, have three daughters, Emma, a junior at W.F. West, Ava, a freshman at W.F. West, and Amelia, a 5th grader at Orin Smith Elementary.
Colleen State
State has served on the Chehalis School Board since 2011 and, along with J. Vander Stoep, represents the school board on the West/Coffman Scholarship Board through the Chehalis Foundation.
She has lived in Chehalis since 1975 when she married Jack State, who retired as a P.E. teacher for W.F. West in 2000 and who coached basketball and still coaches both boys and girls tennis. Their son, Kyle State, is a W.F. West alumni and works as a counselor at Chehalis Middle School.
She is a retired educator who taught in the Centralia School District for many years and still works as a substitute in other local districts when needed.
As our longest-standing school board director, State has been part of many important decisions in our district including: hiring Dr. Christine Moloney to be Superintendent in 2020; design and creation of the W.F. West STEM wing in 2017; the planning and opening of James Lintott Elementary in 2018 and Orin Smith Elementary in 2019; and the creation of the Chehalis School District Student Achievement Initiative in 2013.
"Colleen brings a clear passion for our students' education and her experience, intelligence and perspective adds to better school board discussion and decisions," fellow school board director J. Vander Stoep said of State.
J. Vander Stoep
Vander Stoep has served on the Chehalis School Board since 2019 and, along with Colleen State, represents the school board on the West/Coffman Scholarship Board through the Chehalis Foundation.
A Bearcat Alumni, Vander Stoep has lived his entire life in Chehalis except for 10 years spent working in Bellingham, Seattle and Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Ann, have three daughters who also graduated from W.F. West High School.
Vander Stoep holds a Bachelor's Degree, as well as a Juris Doctor degree, which is a professional degree required to become a lawyer. He works as an attorney.
When he is not giving his time to the Chehalis School District. Vander Stoep is proud to serve as a board member for the Office of Chehalis Basin, working toward flood protection and fish enhancement, and board member for the Chehalis Foundation. He said he is honored to work with his fellow school board directors who continue to keep their mission about students.
"We have kept the focus on educational and career outcomes for students K-12 and beyond," he said.
Tim LeDuc
LeDuc is the newest member of the Chehalis School Board, having been elected in November 2023.
"I felt it would be a good way to give back to the school district and my community in general," he said of why he ran for the open seat.
A Centralia High School graduate, LeDuc has lived within the Chehalis School District boundaries for 35 years. He and his wife, Lesa, have three kids who all graduated from W.F. West High School and received assistance paying for college through West/Coffman Scholarships.
LeDuc is a retired land manager and environmental compliance supervisor for the Centralia Coal Mine. He is extremely proud of his many years given as a Boy Scout leader, working alongside many young people completing a variety of community service projects, several of which were at Recreation Park.
Maddie Scalici & Natalie Eklund
W.F. West Senior Madeline Scalici was chosen as this year's student representative to the Chehalis School Board and Senior Natalie Eklund, ASB Secretary, serves as alternate.
School Board Student Representatives are not voting members of the board, but get to add their voice to discussions about items the board is considering. The student representatives also have a place on the board agenda to report on what is going on at the high school.
After high school, Scalici hopes to attend Michigan State University and study business and medicine to become an anesthesiologist. Eklund plans to play golf for Pacific Lutheran University and study kinesthesiology with a focus on diet and nutrition and eventually earn her Master's degree.
Did You Know?
- Our school board members are volunteers! These positions are unpaid and they receive no compensation besides our gratitude for choosing to serve.
- Our school board members are referred to as Directors. This official title is actually designated for all Washington school board members by RCW 28A.315.343
- According to the Washington State School Directors Association, there are 1,447 elected school board members in the state of Washington
- The first school board in America was created in 1647 when a law was passed by the Massachusetts Bay Company that any community of 50 or more people had to maintain public schools.