2024 Governing Board Candidate Biographies
YVONNE TSAI - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Casa Grand Union High School District #82
Why run for the school board? Too many challenging issues exist. The most critical to me are drug abuse, reading and math proficiency, school board prayer and curriculum.
In my discovery, both Union and Vista students estimate that 60% to 70%+ fellow students are on drugs. District has about 4,000 pupils, which include likely 2,400 to 2,800 or more addicts. I’ve reported this at March school board meeting. And in April, recommended Board bring in highly effective Teen Challenge to help deliver children from addictions.
Do you know how high schoolers are doing in reading and math? District’s 2024 average reading proficiency is 18% and math 23%. In June I recommended Board use phonics to help students relearn reading. And in July, will recommend teaching arithmetic to rebuild students’ math potential.
America’s progressive educational movement began at the very beginning of 1900’s. As a made-in-Taiwan immigrant, finally I realized we have nationwide systemically failed public schools. United States has developed an educational normalcy bias and committed a progressive suicide in the past 120+ years.
But God! He grieves over our self-destruction of future generations. He never leaves, forsakes or disappoints us. In September 2023, I began praying aloud at the 3-minute, request-to-speak session in board meetings. Yet we must restore school board corporate prayer. God has already prepared expert legal forces to potentially advise on our achieving victory on prayer liberty.
Regarding curriculum, in summer 2023 I recommended Union curriculum director add PragerU and Patriot Academy’s history and civics curriculum as resource choices. PragerU and PragerU Kids’ short videos are highly effective in reaching children and youth. God blessed us! AZ DOE has begun partnering with PragerU to educate K-12 true American history and values in January this year.
Briefly about myself. In 1979, I came to America for graduate study. After getting an MBA I pursued computer science. Enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of technological work. I led small project teams in business software customization, and integrating distribution system with client’s manufacturing enterprise.
In 2001, in answering the Lord’s challenge I resigned from work and became a stay-home single mom. He trains me to live his Word out. I experienced what He meant by ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God’s mouth.’ For ten years, I took on short-term prayer trips domestically and overseas, including Communist China, Cuba, North Korea and Russia. My current and on-going assignment began in 2013 in South India. In 2017 He instructed me to move out of California. Thus, in Casa Grande I settled.
Now, the Lord gives me a new adventure to run for school board and serve His families. He is the supreme expert in fixing man-made disasters, including our systemically failing public schools. When God grants us a conservative majority of board members, we will allow Him to empower us and implement His strategies to save His children. We will obey... one step at a time. Every step will be a miracle! Amen.
Kelly Herrington - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Casa Grand Union High School District #82
Kelly Herrington- Running for re-election for the Governing Board 4-year seat term for the Casa Grande Union High School District #82
My name is Kelly Herrington and I have been a residence of Arizona for over 25 years and in the Casa Grande area for the past 10 years. I was approached a few years back by the superintendent at that time and he asked if I would consider running. He stated the district needed someone with kids in the district and who is involved in our community, with no hidden agenda. I am passionate about our community and helping be a voice for our kids, educators and the community.
I earned a marketing degree at the University of Arizona at the Eller College of Business and a minor in Spanish. I have 2 children who are in the Casa Grande school districts, one is an incoming Sophomore attending Casa Grande Union HS and the other an 8th grader in the elementary district. My children’s educational welfare and safety as well as all the other children in the area is of utmost importance to me.
With the understanding that our county functions a little differently than say the greater Phoenix area I realize that traditional schooling as well as vocational schooling by partnering with entities such as CAC are important… especially as companies such as Lucid continue to come into our area. I am also very involved in our community and want its continued growth and success.
I am a local Realtor and the Sales Manager for her brokerage in Casa Grande and Pinal County. I will be the Pinal Chapter Chairperson for 2025 for WeSERV (West and Southeast Valley Association of Realtors). Charity and giving back to our community are very important. I have been the Co-Chair for the Realtor Memorial run for the past 6 years, benefitting the Casa Grande Alliance Cancer Support Center and am also a member of the Rotary Club of Casa Grande.
I am running for re-election because I believe our students deserve the best education possible and that to achieve this, they need great teachers, technology, and a safe and supportive learning environment that will help them succeed. In addition, having the unique perspective as a parent, community member and board member help give me an open mind and insight to the school district that some simply do not have. The safety and educational welfare of our students is a priority that I continue to strive towards. I love my community and serving it the best I can.
Cami Garcia - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Apache Junction Unified School District #43
My name is Cami Garcia. It has been the most rewarding serving in the district for 8 years. I am running for my third term as an AJUSD school board member. I chose to run in 2016 because of my passion for the community our families and most importantly our students.
I am a native here in Apache Junction who has attended K-12th in the AJUSD district. I have raised my three boys and adopted a fourth boy who all attended the AJ district and have now all graduated. I am an owner/Broker of my real estate company Western Lifestyle Realty which is located in the core of our community. My husband is my high school sweetheart who was also raised in our beautiful city. We both graduated from AJHS in 1991 where he joined the United States Marine Corps and then in 2002, he was hired on at our very own Superstition Fire and Medical as a firefighter "Captain" for 24 years.
For these past eight years, we have faced many challenges in our schools locally and nationwide. As an effective school board member, we have to be involved in our schools. We have to be dedicated, and willing to take on strategic goals that align so that we have a seamless flow from the board room down to the classrooms and to the students. These tasks should involve what's best for our students. We have to gain the trust and support of the community and commit to the responsibility of what a truly effective board member is.
I was the president of BGYFL football (youth feeder program in our district) for about 15 years. I was the Vice president of AJ Little League, the team mom for our football program for about 12 years, a PTO parent, and an advocate on various other boards such as Saving Our Schools, Boosters, and a volunteer wherever I was needed! Our motto has been "KIDS FIRST!" I am a firm believer that we must practice this by making decisions that are solely based on what's best for our students, teachers, and staff!
I am running for the school board for re-election again because we need consistency. We need effective leaders who work together and support learning! Leaders who are truly involved and invested in our communities and our schools! I have a strong desire to continue to participate and grow our district into the best district that will provide the students with the knowledge, skills, and ingenuity to pursue their dreams! I am that graduate, that mom, business owner, and school board leader! I look forward to serving you again and would be honored to have your support and vote!
Thank you,
Cami Garcia
BOOTS HAWKS - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Casa Grand Union High School District #82
Hello, I’m Boots Hawks, I was born in Colorado, and Boots is my given name. I grew up most of my life in California, except while in the military. My family of 3 sisters and 1 brother were considered poor, but not in what mattered most. I went into the Army at 19 and retired with combat time as a SFC SNCO at 20 years of service. I move to Florida, went back to college for a degree in Respiratory Care. After graduation and licensing as a Registered Respiratory Therapist I worked at Tampa General Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital in Florida. In 1998 I relocated to CA and worked for Lodi Memorial, St. Joseph’s MC and then at Dameron Hospital in Stockton. While at Dameron I was asked by leadership to take a position in Quality Management, where I brought our state scores from the bottom 10% to the top 10% and achieved a national certification in healthcare quality management.
When I retired a second time in 2016 I moved to Casa Grande AZ. I felt our country straying from the ideals I loved, so I started a group called Conservative Freedom Lovers which has reached 800 plus members with Chapters in Maricopa, Coolidge and Florence. This is also when I became aware of our failing schools. I started attending the Elementary and High School board meetings. I was sensing that both could use major improvement. Our children deserve to be educated better than they are. Board Members and parents should accept nothing less. We are ranked at the bottom of all 50 states. This is unacceptable, our schools must do better, most AZ high school graduates have difficulty reading at a 6th grade level. I want to first get politics and social issues out of our schools. Tax payers don’t want to have their money wasted. Citizens and students deserve higher performance from our schools. Reading and reading comprehension, English, Math, Science and History are my main objectives as a board member. I will also work to inspire more patriotism and more parent involvement in their children’s education. Working together, parents, school and students can develop a culture of success above all expectations. We must first really care by getting our priorities geared towards education, not politics, to realize our responsibilities and make a diploma from Casa Grande High Schools desired by businesses and respected by our community.
Education, not politics, is what I stand on.
RICHARD WILKIE - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Casa Grand Union High School District #82
My name is Richard Wilkie, and I am running to remain on the Casa Grande Union High School Board. My wife and I have lived in Casa Grande for over 15 years. We have three children, all of whom have attended elementary, middle, and high school here in Casa Grande. My oldest son is currently a senior at Union. I am a naval officer in the reserves with over 21 years of service including two tours to Afghanistan. I received my bachelor’s in history and a teaching credential from California State University at Long Beach and my Masters in Public Administration from The George Washington University. I am also a Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic Development Council.
I have worked for the City of Casa Grande for over 18 years and am currently the Economic Development Director. As the Economic Development Director, I have been directly involved in helping to attract companies such as Lucid and Kohler and supporting our existing industries and businesses. In addition, as a member of the Pinal County Workforce Development Board, I have been working to enhance our workforce development efforts to help address the workforce needs of our existing and future companies. I have also been working with our industries to get them connected with our district’s CTE programs to ensure that these programs are aligned with the industry needs so that our students are better prepared for a career after high school if they do not go to college.
I am running for the School Board to help ensure that it continues to move in the right direction. We have made a lot of progress since Mr. Lavender became the Superintendent, but we still have a long way to go to achieve our goal that every student will graduate and be prepared to either go on to college or pursue a career. I firmly believe that our board should be made up of individuals who have children in the school districts, who work in our community, and have been heavily involved in supporting our students at school, in sports, or other after-school programs, as all of these help provide the insight into the challenges facing our children today that others just don’t have. These challenges are not like they were 15 or 20 years ago, and our children do not communicate the same way as they did back then. We need more innovative, engaging approaches to teach and communicate with our students if we are going to help them reach their full potential. We need to continue to find ways of using our limited resources wisely and retaining and attracting great teachers. We cannot afford to allow political agendas or fear-mongering to divide us and distract us from this goal. Educating our children is not just the teacher's responsibility; it is the community's responsibility. Parents, neighbors, businesses, the city, we all need to work together to support and encourage our students and ultimately achieve A+ schools for our families.
Thank you.
CARRIE JORDAN - Running for Governing Board 4 year seat term for Casa Grand Union High School District #82
I have lived in Casa Grande for over 21 years. I am married and have four children. Two are CGUHS graduates from 2022 and 2024, one is a freshman at CGUHS and the youngest is attending Cactus Middle School.
I have actively participated in our community as a registered volunteer for both CGESD and CGUHSD, helping in and out of the classroom, as well as in a variety of athletic and extracurricular pursuits. I have been on public affairs committees that have initiated and conducted school supply drives, blood drives, street clean-ups, senior appreciation nights, community and church partnership programs and service opportunities.
I love the outdoors and love sharing that passion with the youth in our community. For over 8 years I volunteered in Cub Scouts as a Den leader and in Boys Scouts as a Committee Chairman and Merit Badge Counselor. For the last 9 years I volunteered and led young women ages 14-15 on a week long high adventure in the wilderness. My family and I have been active in our local CG FFA Chapter for the last 6 years and look forward to many more years.
I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education Teacher Education from the University of Wyoming. While attending UW, Teachers and Advisors selected me to serve on student leadership boards and positions.
I was a Substitute Teacher in both CGESD and CGUHSD for 10 years from 2003-2013. I loved teaching all grades and enjoyed the opportunity that substitute teaching offered to mingle with all students in Casa Grande. Being in the classrooms of all the schools in both the districts allowed me to see the successes, struggles and sometimes failures. I learned what my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher were and about a variety of best teaching and learning practices for a variety of learners during those years.
Currently I work for Page One Automotive. Page One provides premier automotive fleet and event management services. I started at Page One Automotive in 2013 as a part-time billing assistant and have worked my way up in the company to a full-time position in the corporate office as an Administrative Assistant.
I am running for election because I believe that the students of CGUHSD deserve to be excited about their high school education. As a parent, I get to listen, observe, and advise my children, their friends, and their classmates on the unique issues they face daily. It gives me the insight to see where the district is succeeding and where it is struggling. I wish to be part of the CGUHSD culture where students take pride in excelling and learning daily, where teachers and staff are excited to come to work, where parents are excited for what their students get to learn and experience daily, and a community that unites to celebrate and help when and where they can. Together we can continue to progress toward being the best school district we can be!