First-time trustees Kelly Slade-Kerr and Mark Gifford are now at the helm of the New Westminster board of education following board elections this week.
Slade-Kerr was acclaimed as board chair at Tuesday night’s board of education meeting, but the role is not entirely unfamiliar to her. Slade-Kerr was first handed the gavel in October when three-time chair Jonina Campbell stepped down to focus on her provincial run for MLA of New Westminster. Before that, Slade-Kerr was vice-chair after beating Casey Cook for the title in last year’s board elections.
Gifford, meanwhile, won his vice-chair position, defeating trustee Mary Lalji in a secret ballot.
Gifford was first elected to the school board during the 2014 civic election, along with Slade-Kerr. Since joining the New Westminster board of education, he has served as its representative to the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association.
