Mara Vorachek-Warren has been selected to fill the Rockwood School District Board of Education seat recently vacated by Jessica Clark.
The remaining six members voted 6-0 on May 30 to appoint Vorachek-Warren fill the seat until the April 2025 election.
“I think (Vorachek-Warren) will bring a different skill set and expertise not only to the board but to the community as a whole,” Superintendent Curtis Cain said. “This board has demonstrated its willingness to strategize and problem-solve for the good of the district. The Board of Education was one of the reasons I was interested in coming to Rockwood, and I have found that regardless of the faces that sit on the board, it’s the continuation of that mindset that gives me hope that we will continue to move forward into a brighter future at Rockwood.”
Vorachek-Warren, 49, of Wildwood will be sworn in today, June 6, at the board’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Administrative Annex, 500 North Central Ave., in Eureka.
Vorachek-Warren and nine other candidates interviewed for the position on May 30. Each candidate was given 10 minutes to answer questions posed by the current board members.
Vorachek-Warren said she was excited to join the board. In her application, she said she intends to run for a full term in April 2025.
“I am a lifetime learner, so I’m going to start by learning the role,” Vorachek-Warren said.
Vorachek-Warren is the dean of mathematics and sciences at St. Charles Community College. She has worked at the community college, where she started as a teacher, since 2010. She began her career in education in 2001 as a teaching assistant at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
“I’m very passionate about public education,” Vorachek-Warren said. “I feel that it fills such a need for families who are trying to make a change in their micro-economy. I’m just amazed how, at a community college, a short certificate can lead to a six-figure education in cyber security or nursing. Students can completely turn their economic situation around.”
When asked during the interview what Rockwood’s biggest issues are now and in the future, Vorachek-Warren said staying current with evolving technology and maintaining aging district facilities are important.
“I think it’s very difficult these days with so much going on in our digital world and also with our workforce to stay current, be innovative and forward-thinking,” she said.
“I know how long it takes for the curriculum process – the development of curriculum. We are slow, I understand the reasoning behind that, but all around us things are changing.”
Vorachek-Warren said she has two children in the district. She said her job as an administrator for St. Charles Community College has prepared her to join the board.
“I really like to do my homework,” she said. “My background is biochemistry, so research is something I’m very familiar with. Also in my administrative role, I have been known to be a very measured decision maker in that I wait to hear from the people most affected by a problem.
“I think being a good listener and knowing what a decision’s outcome might look like, looking at what other boards and school districts have done successfully, that’s kind of my strength.”
Clark submitted her resignation on April 8 because she is moving outside the district, Rockwood announced.
Clark’s last meeting as a board member was May 16.
Board President Lynne Midyett said she was impressed with the 10 applications Rockwood received to fill the open seat. She said most of the candidates mentioned Rockwood’s teaching staff as the district’s strongest attribute during their interviews.
Other applicants were Amy Wass-man of Eureka; Jamie Lamprecht of Chesterfield; Michael Scott of Ballwin; Ashley Karth of Eureka; Michelle Anselmo of Eureka; April-Dawn Gladu of Ballwin; Karen Hargadine of Eureka; Jennifer Sieve Gontram of Chesterfield; and LaTisha Smith of Fenton.
“We were fortunate to have talented people wanting to be on the board all at once,” Midyett said.
“I would stress to the candidates that they stay connected with the board and run again the following year. There will always be more opportunities to get involved.”