OSBA Elections Information

The Election Center

The Oregon School Boards Association is organized as one general state association with up to 24 regionally elected representatives established across 14 geographic regions to support member participation and representation.

In odd-numbered years, member boards vote to elect regional representatives for even-numbered positions on the OSBA Board of Directors. Member boards also vote to elect all regional representatives on the Legislative Policy Committee.

In even-numbered years, member boards vote to elect regional representatives for odd-numbered positions on the OSBA Board of Directors.

Resolutions submitted to the membership are also on the ballot along with candidate elections.

Discover more about the duties and responsibilities of an OSBA Board of Director here.

Contact OSBA if you have questions about nominations or election procedures. Call 503-588-2800 or 800-578-6722, or e-mail [email protected].

Election Resources

Nominating Information and Candidate Forms

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Nominations are now open for the OSBA 2025 election. Candidates for the OSBA Board of Directors and Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) must be nominated by official action of a member board within their region. Completed candidate nomination, questionnaire, and resume forms will be posted in the Candidate and Resolution Information section as they are received.

Nominations close on September 30, 2025.

In 2025, all even-numbered board positions, board position 7 (Clackamas), board position 11 (Marion), and all Legislative Policy Committee positions are currently up for election.

For your reference, we’ve posted this list of the currently open positions with the incumbents.

Nomination and Candidate Forms

OSBA Board Candidate Forms:
- OSBA Board Nomination form (PDF)
- OSBA Board Candidate Questionnaire and Resume form (PDF)
OSBA Legislative Policy Committee Candidate Forms:
- OSBA LPC Nomination form (PDF)
- OSBA LPC Candidate Questionnaire and Resume form (PDF)
Board Candidate Information

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View information about each candidate nominated, their professional resume, and responses to the candidate questionnaire. Candidate information is posted as nominations and candidate materials are received.

OSBA Board of Directors Candidates

Position 2, Gorge Region

Nichole Schott – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Nichole Schott – Nomination

Paul Zastrow – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Paul Zastrow – Nomination

Position 4, Southeast Region

Steve Lowell – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Steve Lowell – Nomination

Position 6, Lane Region

Nicole DeGraff – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Nicole DeGraff – Nomination

Position 7, Clackamas Region (1-year term)

Position 8, Clackamas Region

Chrissy Reitz – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Chrissy Reitz – Nomination

Position 10, Linn/Benton/Lincoln Region

Position 11, Marion (1-year term)

Satyanarayana Chandragiri – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Satyanarayana Chandragiri – Nomination

Position 12, Marion Region

Alonso Oliveros – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Alonso Oliveros – Nomination

Position 14, N. Coast Region

Position 16, Washington Region

Tristan Irvin – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Tristan Irvin – Nomination

Position 18, Multnomah Region

Brenda Rivas – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Brenda Rivas – Nomination
Brenda Rivas – Additional Materials

Position 20, Washington Region

Nancy Thomas – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Nancy Thomas – Nomination
Nancy Thomas – Additional Materials
Legislative Policy Committee Candidate Information

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View information about each candidate nominated, their professional resume, and responses to the candidate questionnaire. Candidate information is posted as nominations and candidate materials are received.

OSBA Legislative Policy Committee Candidates

Position 1, Eastern Region

Bruce Kevan – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Bruce Kevan – Nomination

Position 2, Gorge Region

Position 3, Central Region

Sean Gallagher – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Sean Gallagher – Nomination

Position 4, Southeast Region

Position 5, Southern Region

Daniel Ruby – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Daniel Ruby – Nomination

Nathan Seable – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Nathan Seable – Nomination

Position 6, Lane Region

Judy Newman – Candidate Questionnaire
Judy Newman – Nomination

Position 7, Clackamas Region

Heather Ray – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Heather Ray – Nomination

Position 8, Clackamas Region

Jena Benologa – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Jena Benologa – Nomination

Position 9, Douglas/S. Coast Region

Steve Hammerson – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Steve Hammerson – Nomination

Janet Holland – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Janet Holland – Nomination
Janet Holland – Additional Materials

Position 10, Linn/Benton/Lincoln Region

Position 11, Marion Region

Mel Fuller – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Mel Fuller – Nomination

Position 12, Marion Region

Lisa Harnisch – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Lisa Harnisch – Nomination

Position 13, Yamhill/Polk Region

Position 14, N. Coast Region

Sondra Gomez – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Sondra Gomez – Nomination

Position 15, Washington Region

TJ Johnson – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
TJ Johnson – Nomination

Melissa Potter – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Melissa Potter – Nomination

Position 16, Washington Region

Position 17, Multnomah Region

Heather Coleman-Cox – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Heather Coleman-Cox – Nomination

Position 18, Multnomah Region

Althea Ender – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Althea Ender – Nomination

Position 19, Multnomah Region

Position 20, Washington Region

Crystal Weston – Candidate Questionnaire and Resume
Crystal Weston – Nomination
Resolution Information

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Resolutions to be considered by the membership are link below:

Election Timelines

In 2025, all even-numbered board positions, board position 7 (Clackamas), board position 11 (Marion), and all Legislative Policy Committee positions.

Download 2025 Elections Calendar

Election of Regional Members of the OSBA Board of Directors

Date	Action
Aug 1	Notice of position vacancies on the OSBA board and official nomination forms distributed
Sept 30	Nominations close
Oct 15	Official ballot sent to OSBA membership
Oct 15	Voting period opens
Dec 15	Voting period closes
Jan 1	Newly elected regional members of the OSBA Board of Directors officially take office

Resolution Election

Date	Action
Sept 30	All resolutions to be submitted to the membership for a vote must be received at the OSBA offices
Oct 15	Resolution details, along with an official ballot, will be sent to the membership
Oct 15	Voting period opens
Dec 15	Voting period closes

OSBA Officer Election

Date	Action
Sept 12-14	The currently seated OSBA Board of Directors meets to elect officers. Candidates receiving a majority of the votes cast for any officer position on the OSBA board shall be elected.

Election Assistance

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Sample Motions and Resolutions

Candidates must be nominated by the official action of a member board within the region. Official board action is also required to cast the board’s vote for candidates and resolutions. The sample documents are provided to assist boards in the election process.

Nomination Questions

How does a local board nominate a candidate for the OSBA board or Legislative Policy Committee?

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To become a candidate for your regional OSBA board position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must then submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I become an OSBA board member?

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To become a candidate for your regional OSBA board position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must then submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I become an OSBA Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) member?

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You may run in the next election for the LPC seat representing your region. To become a candidate for your regional LPC position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I get a resolution on the ballot?

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An individual board member cannot submit a resolution to the membership directly. However, each member board within a region has the ability to put forward a resolution to be considered by the membership. A board writes a resolution, passes it by a majority vote of its own board, and then sends it to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
Can I campaign for my position?

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Yes. The candidate forms completed and submitted during the nomination process will be posted on the OSBA website. In addition, you may contact other board members in your region for campaigning purposes. OSBA has created a listserv for each region which may be used for campaigning, or you may request a mailing list of the board members in your region from OSBA at [email protected].

There may also be opportunities at the OSBA Fall Regional Meetings for you to campaign. Contact La’Nell Trissel if you are interested in speaking at your regional meeting this year.

Voting Questions

Is there any literature available on the candidates and resolutions?

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Yes. Candidate information is posted online as soon as we receive it.
Does each board get one vote?

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For OSBA board and Legislative Policy Committee positions each board gets one vote. For resolutions, a weighted voting system based on student population is used. A complete explanation of this system can be found in Section 2.4.2 of the OSBA Bylaws.
How do we place our vote with OSBA?

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The board must take official board action and then submit that information to OSBA. Your board will be provided a link in order to access electronic voting. In cases of computer or Internet failure, you may also fax or mail your vote to OSBA.

Mail:

OSBA, 1201 Court St NE, #400
Salem, Oregon 97301

Fax:

(503) 588-2813
Our board is provided with more than one vote for voting on resolutions. Do we have to place all votes the same way?

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No. You may cast your votes as a board in any manner you choose.
I am an ESD board member. Our ESD has school district members in several regions. Where does our board vote?

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You vote in only one region. The location of your main facility determines the region wherein your board will vote. If a member Education Service District’s boundaries span more than one OSBA region, that member board must declare in which region it intends to vote and vote only in that region.
I am a community college board member. Our community college has locations in several OSBA regions. Where does our board vote?

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You vote in only one region. The location of your main facility determines the region wherein your board will vote. If a member community college’s boundaries span more than one OSBA region, that member board must declare in which region it intends to vote and vote only in that region.
Don’t local boards only get to vote for those representatives from their region?

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For regional representatives on the OSBA board and LPC, the answer is yes. For resolutions, the answer is no. The entire membership of OSBA votes for resolutions, regardless of which region put the resolution on the ballot.

OSBA Elections Information

The Election Center

Election Resources

Nomination and Candidate Forms

OSBA Board of Directors Candidates

OSBA Legislative Policy Committee Candidates

Election of Regional Members of the OSBA Board of Directors

Resolution Election

OSBA Officer Election

Nomination Questions

Voting Questions

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