The Thames Valley District School Board has appointed two community members to replace Trustee vacancies in City of London Wards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13. 

Laura Gonzalez and Sherri Moore will replace Trustee Joyce Bennett, who retired in October, and Trustee Jake Skinner, who resigned earlier this month. The two appointed Trustees will complete the Board’s four-year term which expires in November 2022.

“We are very fortunate to have Laura and Sherri join the Board and provide representation for the constituents of Wards 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13,” said TVDSB Chair Lori-Ann Pizzolato. “Their active involvement in our school district and the London community will be a definite asset to our Board.”

To fill the vacancy created by Trustee Bennett’s retirement, the Board invited applications from community members to serve as Trustee until the next municipal election. At a Special Meeting on December 8, the Board decided to choose a second candidate from the list of applicants to replace Trustee Skinner.

Trustees Gonzalez and Moore were selected after the Board interviewed all 17 community members who submitted an application.

Laura Gonzalez, a community research coordinator at Western University’s Brain and Mind Institute, is the current president of the Thames Valley Council of Home and School Association and member of the Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee.

“As community advocates for public education, Trustees are crucial to inspire public confidence in the school system,” Trustee Gonzalez said in her letter of application. “I care deeply about our education system and the impact it has in all aspects of our community.”

Sherri Moore, a candidate in the 2018 election, is an administrative coordinator at Western University's Schulich Dentistry school and a member of TVDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee, representing Autism Ontario.

“I have extensive experience navigating various aspects of our education system and advocating for children,” Trustee Moore said in her letter of application. “I have kept abreast of current issues . . . and I am absolutely prepared to hit the ground running.”