Board Members
The Board of Education consists of nine members appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Members are appointed to serve a term of four years. No member shall be appointed to more than two consecutive four-year terms.
To receive email notifications from the Board of Education regarding upcoming public meetings, opportunities for public comment, etc. please contact Emily Webb, director for board relations.
To contact a member of the Virginia Board of Education, please email BOE@doe.virginia.gov.
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Daniel A. Gecker, PresidentAppointed to unexpired term of Dr. Lorraine S. Lange – January 8, 2016 Daniel A. Gecker was appointed to the Board of Education by Governor Terry McAuliffe and reappointed to a four year term by Governor Ralph Northam. Mr. Gecker was elected by the Board to serve as its president in July 2017 and reelected in July 2019. Mr. Gecker is a partner in Urban Development Associates LLC, specializing in historical rehabilitation and urban revitalization. He was a member of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors from 2008 to 2014, serving as chairman in 2010 and 2012. Mr. Gecker has dedicated many years to community involvement through organizations including the Orchard House School Board, the Greater Richmond Partnership Board, and Bridging RVA. Mr. Gecker is a graduate of Princeton University, where he received his degree in economics, the University of Southern California, where he received his masters of public administration, and William and Mary’s School of Law. He resides in Chesterfield County, where he and his wife raised four daughters. |
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Dr. Jamelle S. Wilson, Vice PresidentAppointed to first full term – February 17, 2017 Jamelle S. Wilson was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2017 by Governor Terry McAuliffe. Dr. Wilson was elected by the Board to serve as its vice president in July 2020. Dr. Jamelle S. Wilson serves as the fifth dean of the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS). Prior to her appointment as dean, Dr. Wilson served as Superintendent of Schools for Hanover County, Virginia. Before her appointment as superintendent, Dr. Wilson worked in Hanover County Public Schools as a classroom teacher, a lead teacher, an assistant principal, a principal and an assistant superintendent. In 2015, Dr. Wilson was named Region 1 Superintendent of the Year by her peers. She served on the Board of Governors of the International Baccalaureate Organization from 2014 – 2020 and has served on a number of community boards, including the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, the Association Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Richmond, and Communities in Schools of Richmond. Dr. Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and a Master of Teaching (M.T.) from the University of Virginia, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English, Writing and Rhetoric from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a doctorate (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, also from the University of Virginia. |
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Pamela Davis-VaughtAppointed to first full term – July 17, 2019 Pamela Davis-Vaught was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2019 by Governor Ralph Northam. Ms. Pamela Davis-Vaught is an elementary school principal in Bristol Virginia Public Schools. She has 27 years of experience as an educator in a variety of roles, serving rural and small schools in Southwest and Central Virginia. Ms. Davis-Vaught is an advocate for children and the particular needs of teachers in a challenged school environment. Ms. Davis-Vaught earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Family and Child Development, and Master of Education (M.A.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech. She resides in Abingdon with her husband. |
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Dr. Francisco DuránAppointed to first full term – August 24, 2018 Francisco D. Durán was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2018 by Governor Ralph Northam. Dr. Durán serves as Superintendent of Arlington County Public Schools. Dr. Durán has a diverse background in education of twenty-four years, beginning as a special education paraprofessional, and teaching Spanish, social studies, language arts. He’s also served in a variety of other positions such as an activities director, athletics director, assistant principal, principal, regional superintendent, a superintendent and Chief Equity Officer. As the first in his family to graduate from college, Dr. Durán knows the importance and power of an education. Dr. Durán earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Education from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Educational Administration from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Doctorate (Ed.D.) in Organization and Leadership from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. |
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Anne B. HoltonAppointed to first full term – February 17, 2017 Anne Holton was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2017 by Governor Terry McAuliffe. Anne Holton helped integrate Virginia's schools as a child when her father was Virginia's governor in the early 1970's and has been a champion for public education ever since. Ms. Holton served as Virginia’s Secretary of Education from 2013-2016. She served as First Lady of Virginia from 2006-2010, during which time she worked to reform the foster care system in Virginia. From 1998 to 2005, she served as a Judge on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for the City of Richmond, and was chief judge of the court from 2000 to 2003. Ms. Holton now serves as interim president and a visiting professor at George Mason University. Ms. Holton graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Ms. Holton and her husband, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, live in Richmond, VA. They have three adult children, all of whom attended Richmond Public Schools. |
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Dr. Tammy MannAppointed to first full term – July 17, 2019 Tammy Mann was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2019 by Governor Ralph Northam. Dr. Tammy Mann has worked at the intersection of research, practice and policy in early care and education for more than 25 years. She has devoted her career to improving life outcomes for children, youth and families. Currently, Dr. Mann serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Campagna Center, a community-based nonprofit in Alexandria that provides cradle to career education and social development programs. Dr. Mann graduated Summa Cum Laude from Spelman College earning a BA Degree in Psychology; she completed graduate degrees (MA & PhD) in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University. She resides in Fairfax County, and where she and her husband raised their two children, Joshua and Lauryn.
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Dr. Keisha PextonAppointed to first full term – August 24, 2018 Keisha Pexton was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year in 2018 by Governor Ralph Northam. Dr. Pexton joined Newport News Shipbuilding in 1997 as an electrician in the company’s Apprentice School. After graduating from the advanced apprenticeship program as a production planner, she planned and scheduled for different specializations throughout the company, including carrier overhaul, new construction and facilities. Since then, Dr. Pexton has served in positions, including supervisor of advanced apprentice programs, manager of The Apprentice School’s athletics program, manager of strategic projects, and manager of business services and admissions. Dr. Pexton earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and management from Regent University. She also earned a master’s degree in human resource development from George Washington University and a doctorate degree in strategic leadership from Regent University. Dr. Pexton resides in Hampton with her two sons. |
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Dr. Stewart D. RobersonAppointed to first full term – June 2020 Stewart D. Roberson was appointed to the Board of Education for a four year term in 2020 by Governor Ralph Northam. Dr. Roberson is the Chairman, President, and CEO of Moseley Architects, an architecture and engineering firm based in the Mid-Atlantic that specializes in public and private sector institutional designs. He also serves as a Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia. The Patrick County native earned his B.S., M.Ed., and Ed.D. degrees at the University of Virginia and obtained other certifications at Harvard and Oxford. He has served on and led a number of publicly appointed commissions, committees, and task forces. He has chaired the boards and been president of professional associations at the state, national, and international levels and has provided leadership to several community-based or education-related non-profit boards and foundations. He and his wife, Leslie, reside in Richmond, are the parents of two adult children, and they have two grandchildren. |
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Anthony SwannAppointed to first full term – June 2020 Anthony Swann was appointed to the Board of Education for a four-year term in 2020 by Governor Ralph Northam. Mr. Swann currently teaches fifth grade at Rocky Mount Elementary in Franklin County. He was elected by his peers to be the Rocky Mount Elementary School Teacher of the Year and was later selected to be the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year for Franklin County Public Schools. From there, he was chosen to be the 2021 Region 6 Teacher of the Year and was announced in September 2020 as the 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year. Mr. Swann has 14 years of teaching experience in first – fifth grades, including two years in North Carolina. In 2018, he began a program entitled “Guys with Ties” to teach boys the importance of honesty, integrity, and character inside and outside of the classroom. Mr. Swann earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Averett University and a Master’s of Education in Educational Leadership from Regent University. He currently resides in Vinton. |